Sign up for our daily briefing
Make your busy days simpler with Axios AM/PM. Catch up on what's new and why it matters in just 5 minutes.
Stay on top of the latest market trends
Subscribe to Axios Markets for the latest market trends and economic insights. Sign up for free.
Sports news worthy of your time
Binge on the stats and stories that drive the sports world with Axios Sports. Sign up for free.
Tech news worthy of your time
Get our smart take on technology from the Valley and D.C. with Axios Login. Sign up for free.
Get the inside stories
Get an insider's guide to the new White House with Axios Sneak Peek. Sign up for free.
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Want a daily digest of the top Denver news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Denver
Want a daily digest of the top Des Moines news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Des Moines
Want a daily digest of the top Twin Cities news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Twin Cities
Want a daily digest of the top Tampa Bay news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Tampa Bay
Want a daily digest of the top Charlotte news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Charlotte
Illustration: Rebecca Zisser/Axios
The spats between TV distributors and networks that grew out of the cable and satellite era are beginning to spill over into the streaming world.
Why it matters: Consumers that cut the cord to avoid paying for expensive TV packages are going to be susceptible to some of the same problems, like programming blackouts, that they had with traditional television.
Driving the news: Roku and Fox reached a distribution agreement late Friday night, the companies said, narrowly avoiding a programming blackout that could have otherwise left TV viewers unable to watch the Super Bowl on their Roku devices.
- The companies were at odds over Roku's contract to carry Fox content, which expired Jan. 31 without a renewal deal in place.
- The days-long spat meant that all Fox apps on Roku's platform were be unavailable until a new contract was brokered. Fox had exclusive rights to air the game live this year.
- The fight escalated quickly and drew concerns from consumers.
What they're saying: Fox used some of its top talent to slam Roku for the debacle, a similar tactic that networks use when negotiating with pay-TV distributors.
- "Why is @Roku threatening to take away the FOX News app? We don’t know either! Tell Roku hands off your device, and to put you ahead of their business interests." Sean Hannity tweeted Friday.
The big picture: This isn't the first time programmers and streamers have bumped up against one another.
- Last year, Amazon and Disney nearly failed to strike a distribution agreement to have Disney+ available on Amazon Fire TVs after clashes over advertising terms.
- In 2015, Amazon stopped selling the Apple TV set-top box and Google Chromecast dongle amid disputes with both companies. (The company announced more than two years later that it would resume sales.)
Be smart: Unlike the traditional TV landscape, there currently aren't any regulations governing these types of negotiations in the streaming world.
- In 2014, then-FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler proposed rules that could have aided some online video providers in programming negotiations, but the proposal collapsed after it was widely panned.
- Roku was among the tech companies that didn’t endorse the plan.
Our thought bubble: Over-the-top video providers became popular with consumers in part because they bypassed the headaches like programming blackouts that are common with legacy pay-TV providers. Now tech companies are fighting similar battles to maintain their leverage in a very crowded market.
Go deeper: Streamers go to war over marketing