Blame Flying Over Fox/DirecTV Possible Blackout

Fox is blaming DirecTV for a possible blackout of local stations on the MVPD starting Friday, while American TV Alliance is blaming the broadcaster. Fox said it's "committed to reaching a fair agreement" with DirecTV, but the MVPD "continues to demand unprecedented special treatment that represents a wholesale change to our long-standing relationship and is out of step with marketplace terms." ATVA said Monday the blackout warning is "a bargaining ploy" by the programmer to hike retransmission consent rates and other licensing fees.