DIRECTV subscribers in Odessa, Texas have been denied access to watch CBS on local Channel 7. The station’s owner, ICA Broadcasting, and DIRECTV have not been able to come to a new carriage fee agreement. As of midnight, July 31, the satcaster was no longer allowed to broadcast the channel to its subscribers when the previous agreement ended. Now, potentially tens of thousands of viewers in the Odessa area are missing shows such as “Big Brother,” “Under the Dome,” and “Late Show with David Letterman.” Local news programming is also unavailable until an agreement between the two parties can be made.
In the meantime, DIRECTV subscribers can watch their favorite shows through a web browser on CBS.com by authenticating with their DIRECTV username and password.
Of course, those who want to view Channel 7 on their TV sets can do so by simply using an antenna to receive free over-the-air channels.
This is not the first time local affiliate broadcasters have been disputing carriage fees with national providers. Just yesterday, DISH Network lost 53 channels in 36 markets due to a dispute with Raycom Media.
