An FCC official criticizes Disney for seeking higher retransmission fees from local TV stations while shifting programming to streaming services, raising concerns about the impact on local news.
Federal Communications Commission ( FCC ) member Brendan Carr criticized Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Iger last month, urging him to negotiate more affordable contract terms with local TV stations affiliated with Disney 's ABC network. Carr, Trump's nominee for FCC chairman, accused ABC of attempting to extract increasing financial resources from local broadcast stations while simultaneously shifting popular programming to its streaming platforms.
Carr expressed concern that this revenue loss could negatively impact local news coverage, especially at a time when public trust in media is already low. In a December 21 letter, Carr stated his intention to closely monitor negotiations between ABC and its local affiliates to ensure they fulfill their federal obligations to serve local communities. Retransmission fees, paid by companies like Charter Communications Inc. and DirecTV to station owners, have become a significant source of profit for the TV industry. These fees have tripled over the past decade, with broadcasters like Nexstar Media Group Inc. and Sinclair Inc., two of the largest station owners, now earning more from these payments than from advertising. However, revenue for local stations is projected to decline to $7.2 billion in 2025 from $7.4 billion in 2023, according to S&P Global and Bloomberg Intelligence estimates. As pay-TV viewership diminishes, the total paid by cable operators is growing marginally, and S&P forecasts that the share of retransmission fees going to networks like ABC and NBC will rise to approximately 52 percent, up from the historical 50-50 split. While Carr's letter focused on ABC, all major broadcast networks are reportedly seeking higher fees from their local affiliates, according to Hank Price, a former station manager and current columnist for TVNewsCheck, an industry publication
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