Verizon FiOS subscribers across the country are suffering a sudden television blackout of key broadcast channels this week after the company’s content negotiations with a major media company, Tegna, fell through. Ensuring uninterrupted television programming for customers is vital to TV providers, in part because of high-profile live sports events that occur in January. TV viewers were hit by programming blackouts 140 times in 2018, according to ATVA. The Tegna blackout came hours after Verizon resolved a separate carriage dispute with Disney, which prevented ESPN and ABC from going dark on FiOS customers in numerous markets. The channels went dark Monday evening after Verizon and Tegna failed to renew their programming contract before a 5 p.m. deadline.

Source: Washington Post January 01, 2019 16:06 UTC