DirecTV doesn’t like reality TV — at least when it’s on The Weather Channel.
In an unprecedented carriage agreement Tuesday, DirecTV forced The Weather Channel to remove half of its weekday reality programming — shows like “Coast Guard Alaska” — and replace them with live weather reports.
The change will be most evident in the afternoon as reality shows at that time will disappear, though the network said those shows were nothing but repeats.
Still, having a distribution partner dictate what’s on the airwaves is unheard of.
The Weather Channel — aiming to keep viewers tuned in longer, especially when there isn’t severe weather — recently developed several entertainment shows.
The channel has also invested in hiring more celebrity names, such as weatherman Sam Champion.
The two parties came to terms Tuesday, putting the NBCUniversal-backed channel back on the dial Wednesday after a three-month blackout.
The carriage fee dispute — the channel gets 13 cents per subscriber, per month on average, according to SNL Kagan, and was asking for a penny increase — had The Weather Channel losing access to DirecTV’s 20 million households.
Usually, distributors have zero leverage in negotiating with programmers and end up backing down and paying up — as Time Warner Cable did with its CBS dispute last summer.
The Weather Channel, however, isn’t part of a big programming group and negotiates its own carriage deals even though it is owned by Bain Capital, Blackstone and NBCUniversal.
Although details of the new deal were not disclosed, it is believed DirecTV agreed to an increase — but less than the penny previously asked for.
Amazingly, DirecTV even scored a big new deal with Hilton Worldwide to provide TV service in Hilton-owned hotel brands, including The Waldorf-Astoria.
Blackstone, which has a majority stake in Hilton, stepped in to help resolve the crippling fight.
Throughout the dispute, The Weather Channel launched a heroic PR campaign that centered on the dangers of subscribers being denied access to weather reports in the midst of snowstorms that wreaked havoc in Atlanta, where it is based.
In a statement, David Kenny, CEO of The Weather Company, owner of The Weather Channel, said: “Our apologies to DirecTV and their customers for the disruption of our service and for initiating a public campaign.”
DirecTV chief content officer Dan York said in a statement, “It’s a shame these disputes are played out on a public stage, but I’m pleased that we’ve been able to work together in a way that will benefit everyone.”