Apparently, a necessary (and maybe sufficient) condition in
getting regulators to approve a cable system merger is to have an agreement by
the MVPD to carry RFD-TV. Charter just
renewed its agreement to carry RFD-TV. The
rural channel and its parent, Rural Media Group, now support the Charter-Time
Warner-Brighthouse merger. AT&T
agreed to carry the channel on its U-verse systems after announcing its plans
to merge with DirecTV. The deal closed
this summer.
Comcast wasn’t so easy to “win over”. Comcast dropped the channel in some of its
urban/suburban markets because of low viewership numbers. Because of its concerns that the industry’s consolidation
trend ignored the interests (and viewing preferences) of rural Americans, RFD-TV
asked the FCC to impose rural carriage conditions if it approved Comcast’s merger
with Time Warner Cable. Comcast didn’t
acquiesce. The merger didn’t happen.
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