A carriage dispute is a disagreement over the right to "carry", that is, retransmit, a broadcaster's signal. Carriage disputes first occurred between broadcasters and cable companies and now include direct broadcast satellite and other multichannel video programming distributors.
These disputes often involve financial compensation โ what the distributor pays the television station or network for the right to carry the signal โ as well as what channels the distributor is permitted or required to retransmit and how the distributor offers those channels to its subscribers.[1] While most carriage disputes are resolved without controversy or notice,[2] others have involved programming blackouts, both threatened and real, as well as strident public relations campaigns. Carriage disputes have occurred both in the United States and internationally. Cord-cutting has lessened the impact as more people move from traditional distributors to streaming media services.