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DirecTV Dumps Weather Channel Amid Carriage Impasse

Jan 14, 2014  •  Post A Comment

The Weather Channel has been dropped from DirecTV as the cable network and the pay-TV operator failed to reach an agreement on carriage fees before a midnight deadline Monday, the Associated Press reports.

That means DirecTV’s 20 million customers no longer have access to the weather-focused channel. David Kenny, the chief executive of the network’s parent company, The Weather Co., accused the satellite provider of putting profits ahead of public safety, AP notes.

“We are not looking for a large fee increase," Kenny said, adding that the network wants a “fair deal” that would allow for more investment in the network.

DirecTV said it would provide viewers with weather news via its WeatherNation channel. Still, the two sides are still talking, AP notes.

The Weather Channel dismissed WeatherNation as a “cheap startup that does weather forecasting on a three-hour taped loop, has no field coverage, no weather experts — certainly not any on par with The Weather Channel network’s industry-recognized experts like tornado expert Dr. Greg Forbes and winter weather expert Tom Niziol,” EW.com’s Inside TV reports.

DirecTV countered that weather news is “readily available everywhere,” which means that “it’s no longer necessary for people to have to pay a premium.”

david kenny.pngDavid Kenny

3 Comments

  1. Good Riddance.. The Weather Channel hasn’t been the weather channel in years. There is as much reality tv junk on there as Bravo and MTV. I hope people noticed the bait and switch TWC tried by preempting their reality junk to show a loop of actual weather news right until Directv removed them at midnight, then TWC went right back to a movie and the reality junk.

  2. Way to go DirecTV… stand tough. I won’t miss them and their “more commercials than content”. That begs the question, with all those ads why do they need an increase from DirecTV to carry their channel.

  3. The Weather Channel used to be good, and I used to watch it. Now they suck, and I don’t. Much like The Learning Channel and A & E. Quality channels that used to make me think have become garbage channels that make me ill. This is the main reason I cut the cord years ago (even though I still can afford it) and I don’t miss cable one bit. Good riddance, TWC!

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