Thousands of New England Patriots fans with DirecTV won't have to abandon their living rooms for a crowded neighborhood bar with a flat screen television on Super Bowl Sunday.
Sunbeam Television Corporation, the parent company of WHDH-TV (Channel 7) and WLVI-TV (Channel 56) in Boston, yesterday reached an agreement with satellite program provider DirecTV, ending a contract dispute that threatened a blackout of the Feb. 5 NFL championship game with Giants for viewers in homes with satellite dishes.
The settlement enabled viewers in Massachusetts and New Hampshire to access Channel 7 and Channel 56 signals on DirecTV immediately.
"Go Pats! The real winners tonight are Pats fans who won't be shut-out from watching the biggest game since the last time the Pats and that other team from New Jersey faced off in a Super Bowl," U.S. Sen. John Kerry (D-Massachusetts) said in a brief statement released by his office last night.
"This was important news not only for the fans, but also for businesses that rely on broadcasting the Super Bowl to bring in patrons and revenue," U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H), said in a similar statement.
"I applaud both parties for coming to an agreement so that subscribers can enjoy the services they paid for and focus on what matters: cheering on the Pats," she said.
Kerry and Shaheen were among a handful of senators who called on the parties involved to reach a settlement. They also wrote letters to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) urging it to help find a resolution. Kerry urged the parties to agree to air the Super Bowl regardless of the terms of their dispute.
DirecTV customers faced a possible blackout of the Super Bowl because of a dispute over something called re-transmission fees. DirecTV pays content providers such as Channel 7 a fee to air their station's signal to satellite subscribers. The last agreement expired Jan. 13. DirecTV claimed Sunbeam sought a 300 percent increase in the fee.
Chris Wayland, general manager of WHDH, issued a statement noting his company was pleased with the settlement while praising "our viewers' patience during this tough negotiation."
