Just in time for the Super Bowl, Cox Communications and the owners of KLAS-TV have settled their carriage dispute. The two sides had been at loggerheads dating back to January and the fight was threatening to keep the CBS broadcast of Super Bowl 50 off Cox’s systems. Cox removed KLAS’ signal from its systems on January 29. However, Cox was willing to provide an alternative in case it didn’t reach an agreement with Nexstar Broadcasting.
Cox had signed an agreement with ESPN Deportes which is also airing the Big Game in Spanish. It was all set and ready to go for Cox’s 350,000 subscribers as a company spokesperson was encouraging viewers to watch the Spanish feed:
“We found a workaround to provide the Super Bowl for all of our customers,” Cox spokesman Juergen Barbusca said. “We understand there are only so many options to see the game, and we wanted to expand it, so people can still stay at home and watch it.”
But that deal with ESPN for the Spanish feed of the Super Bowl was enough to push Cox and Nexstar Broadcasting into an agreement Thursday afternoon.
Cox said, it was “sorry for the inconvenience these negotiations have caused our viewers, but we’re excited to be back on the air with KLAS-TV 8 and glad people can return to enjoying their programming.”
The deal allows Cox’s subscribers to watch CBS without watching ESPN Deportes’ feed, although for some viewers, it might have been interesting to watch the game in Spanish, although one attraction would not be there, the commercials. But that won’t happen now, and viewers will not have to find other means to watch the Big Game.
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About Ken Fang
Ken has been covering the sports media in earnest at his own site, Fang's Bites since May 2007 and at Awful Announcing since March 2013.
He provides a unique perspective having been an award-winning radio news reporter in Providence and having worked in local television.
Fang celebrates the four Boston Red Sox World Championships in the 21st Century, but continues to be a long-suffering Cleveland Browns fan.