Major Update on Nexstar Cable Blackout Dispute

Update, Jan. 20: Nexstar and Altice USA (Optimum TV) have come to terms on a new carriage deal, ending the recent blackout. Channels such as NewsNation are now available again, though the companies didn’t disclose the terms of the new deal and if it will have any effect on future subscription prices.

The statement read: “Together, Nexstar and Optimum thank our customers and viewers for their patience as we partnered on the best deal for them.”

Some Major TV Channels Suddenly Removed From Cable Packages: Nexstar Dispute, Explained

Original Story, Jan. 11: Major TV channels are going dark from cable packages following a Nexstar dispute. Variety reports that Nexstar’s WPIX and NewsNation are some of the channels that users with Altice no longer have access to. Nexstar revealed that 63 local TV stations have been removed in 42 markets across the country due to a contract disagreement with Altice.

“Altice has consistently made unreasonable and unprecedented demands of Nexstar, culminating with their decision to walk away from the negotiations,” Michael Biard, Nexstar’s president and chief operating officer, said. “We understand the difficulty of Altice’s financial situation, burdened as it is by billions in debt, but the solution isn’t to force Optimum subscribers to continually pay more while getting less.”

“Unfortunately, Nexstar is using an anti-consumer negotiation tactic – tying local channels to less popular ones – requiring Optimum and its customers to pay for channels like NewsNation, which has essentially no viewership, in order to continue carrying Nexstar broadcast stations in various markets across the country,” Altice said in a statement.

Nexstar claims it’s been in “good faith negotiations” with Altice since October but alleged the carrier demanded “special terms that are wildly out of step with both our longstanding relationship and the cable television marketplace.” It’s unknown if the two will be going back to the negotiation table in the near future, but since they both want to do right by their customers, it shouldn’t be long until they eventually come to an understanding. That’s the hope, at least.

This is the latest carrier dispute that has been leaving users without major channels. FuboTV recently lost channels due to a dispute with TelevisaUnivsion, while Spectrum was disputing with Disney a couple of years ago. Even though Spectrum and Disney sorted things out, it still left customers without certain networks.

As for Nexstar, the company has been making some moves as of late especially after acquiring The CW. Last year, The CW didn’t renew affiliations with E.W. Scripps-owned stations in several markets, with Nexstar Media Group being “confident” that replacement deals would keep The CW across the country. However, Nexstar has been getting a lot of flak for its treatment of The CW, straying from original scripted content and focusing more on unscripted, sports and imported shows. As of 2025, All American will be the only original scripted series on The CW. Season 7 will premiere on Feb. 3.