Nexstar stations restored to Altice’s Optimum packages just ahead of NFL divisional playoff games

An interesting element around discussions of NFL games on broadcast TV is that, while broadcast networks are routinely described as “free” (and they are, for those willing to purchase a $10-20 digital antenna in the many areas where signal strength makes that workable), they’re far from “free” in multichannel video programming distributor packages.

The retransmission fees for including their signal in a MVPD (cable, satellite, or virtual MVPD like YouTube TV or other streaming options) package are crucial to the economics for many local broadcast affiliates. And during the point of time where MVPD packages continue to be a thing and continue to be a primary point of access for many for even “free” broadcast affiliates, local affiliate carriage disputes matter, such as the just-resolved one between Nexstar (the largest owner of U.S. local broadcast affiliates, with 197 stations) and Optimum parent Altice.

Last Friday, 63 of Nexstar’s stations in 42 markets went dark on Optimum in this carriage dispute. That dispute also impacted Nexstar’s national NewsNation and their owned-and-operated CW affiliates (they control 75 percent of that network). And, with Nexstar affiliates spread across all of ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC, that impacted many looking to watch last weekend’s NFL Wild-Card Round playoffs. But, just ahead of this weekend’s Divisional Round games (including Travis Kelce and the Chiefs against the Houston Texans on ABC and ESPN Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET), the two sides struck a deal Saturday. The two sides sent out a terse joint release that a deal was done:

Nexstar Media Group, Inc. and Altice USA today announced that they have reached a comprehensive partnership agreement and all Nexstar programming has been restored to Altice USA’s Optimum TV customers.

Together, Nexstar and Optimum thank our customers and viewers for their patience as we partnered on the best deal for them.

This is just the latest carriage dispute for both sides. In 2023, Nexstar channels were off DirecTV for more than two months before a deal was eventually reached. Meanwhile, Optimum continues to be in a dispute with MSG, with both sides exchanging fiery rhetoric there. But this is an important one to resolve ahead of a weekend of divisional playoffs that has games on all four broadcast networks. For those who have Optimum and still rely on that MVPD rather than an antenna or a streaming service to get these broadcast channels, watching the NFL playoffs just got a lot easier.