Goodbye, “The Big Bang Theory.” It’s been an amazing ride, “The Amazing Race.”
And in about 72 hours, you’ll no longer be able to watch “60 Minutes.”
That’s what could happen on Friday if DirecTV and Sinclair Broadcast Group, the parent company of CBS 21, do not reach a contract agreement.
Last week, CBS 21 ran a statement on their website saying negotiations with DirecTV had stalled, warning viewers DirecTV might not carry their channel after the contract expires Feb. 28.
DirecTV fired back, stating Sinclair was trying to unnecessarily alarm people.
Though Sinclair representatives did not return calls for comment, Barry Faber, Sinclair's general counsel, noted in a posting Tuesday on CBS 21's website that the company is not trying to scare DirecTV customers – it is simply stating a fact that the channel will not be broadcast without an agreement.
According to the statement, all of the top 10 network television shows bring in more viewers than the most viewed cable shows, but providers like DirecTV still pay these broadcast companies less than other cable channels.
“We’re the prisoner of the rising programing costs,” Faber said in his statement. “There’s very little we can do other than what we’re doing.”
Faber apologized to viewers for the inconvenience, but said Sinclair hopes they understand the company's goal is to provide great programing in an increasingly-expensive market place.
“We have little choice to do what we’re doing in terms of getting a deal done,” Faber said.