Government was right. At&t is using its heft to strong arm competitors and partners alike. Same negotiating tactics as it has with the union or in other words...refuses to negotiate.
https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/cbs-warns-directv-att-u-verse-drop-carriage-1203269242/
I work in retail, and all we hear everyday is "sell DTV" "we are an entertainment company." "DTV is all that matters so SELL SELL SELL." At&t wants to be the top provider but yet, we lost Nexstar and probably CBS. How are we to sell this c-ap of a service if we don't offer major network stations? I am scared to look at my current commission statement and see how many charge backs I am getting due to customers cancelling their service with in 6 months of install. I've had several customers contact me already with their concerns and wanting to go with anotherTV provider. At&t needs to figure out their own issues without affecting their customers and the sales team. If we don't sell DTV, then we will not be employed long enough to go thru retails surplus buyout.
Network TV has been in steady year-over-year ratings decline since the 80s, CBS included. That doesn't answer the price question, of course.
Missing from the article is whether or not CBS is jacking up the prices, and if so, whether there is a commensurate increase in viewership to justify an increase.