AT&T informed subscribers to its U-verse multichannel video service Friday night that NHL Network could go dark on their systems as of midnight. The two sides were still talking shortly before midnight, according to a spokeperson for U-Verse, but soon after that the spokesperson confirmed that the channel had indeed gone dark. "As of midnight, we no longer have an agreement to carry the channel," said the spokesperson, "but we're willing to consider a fair and detailed proposal."
"We have tried to reach a fair, long-term deal with NHL Network in order to continue delivering this channel to U-verse TV U450 and Sports Tier customers," AT&T said in a statement issued about 11 p.m. Friday ( Sept. 30). "Unfortunately, it appears that as of midnight EST NHL Network will no longer be available on U-verse TV because we will no longer have an acceptable agreement to carry the channel. We are always open to considering a fair and detailed proposal from NHL Network.:
AT&T pointed out that viewers could still watch hockey games of their home teams on NBC, Versus, and their regional sprts net, which combined deliver over 100 games.
It also referred them to the web site it set up to provide updates and make its case that it is trying to reach fair deals.
