DirecTV Gets Frosty Response After Dropping The Weather Channel

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By Kurt Wagner2014-01-15 02:57:20 UTC

A recent contract dispute prompted satellite-television provider DirecTV to drop The Weather Channel around midnight Tuesday, a move Weather Channel CEO David Kenny called "unprecedented" in a recent interview.

DirecTV has reportedly replaced The Weather Channel with a different 24-hour weather network called WeatherNation.

See also: 20 Gripping Photos of Extreme Weather

But The Weather Channel isn't going down without a fight.

The Weather Channel is not happy about the move, an opinion clearly visible on its website. The network is asking DirecTV subscribers to call and complain to their satellite provider or congressional representative. The Weather Channel is also encouraging DirecTV subscribers to switch services by providing phone numbers and "order" buttons for 11 other cable providers.

In a statement on its website, the network wrote:

For 30+ years, The Weather Channel has been the most trusted resource for disseminating timely information to help prepare and protect families across the nation against weather-related emergencies. But now DIRECTV has removed this critical life-saving community resource from 20 million households. We’re working hard to let DIRECTV know how crucial The Weather Channel is to your family, your community, and your safety. You can help!

The contract dispute surfaced after The Weather Channel said it asked for an increase in $0.01 per customer, per month, according to CNNMoney. DirecTV said the requested increase was "substantially more" than that, and added that it was reluctant because The Weather Channel uses 40% of its programming on reality TV shows.

The Weather Channel is publicizing its battle with DirecTV on its website, which includes a view counter that shows more than 1.7 million people have visited the site.

More than 150,000 people have called DirecTV to complain, according to CNNMoney.

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Image: Jonathan Saruk/Getty Images News/The Weather Channel via Getty Images

Topics: contract dispute, directv, Entertainment, the weather channel, Television, U.S., Weather