TV carriage dispute puts Steelers fans in danger of not being able to watch Week 18 vs. Ravens

by: Brian Jones 10 hours ago brianjones_93

A carriage dispute between Verizon and Cox Media Group could lead to some Pittsburgh Steelers fans missing the Week 18 game against the Baltimore Ravens. Cox owns the Pittsburgh-based WPXI-NBC, and the dispute “has left FIOS TV customers without NBC,” per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (via Sports Business Journal). The previous agreement expired on Dec. 15, and if a deal is not reached when the Steelers vs. Ravens game kicks off on Sunday at 8:20 p.m. ET, some Steelers fans who are FIOS customers will have to find other options to watch the contest.

“WPXI-TV is proud of our commitment to investing in high-quality local news and investigative journalism. The latest actions of Verizon/Fios threaten those investments and hurt consumers who rely on us for local news, weather, and a robust slate of sports and other popular entertainment programming,” Kevin Hayes, Vice President and General Manager, WPXI-TV, said in a statement earlier this month.“Verizon/Fios should stop holding its own customers hostage in its attempts to harm local journalism and community service, all while it tries to get even larger at the expense of our loyal viewers.”

WPXI is still available on other cable and streaming services in the Pittsburgh area. Additionally, the game will be available on Peacock.

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