Plaintiff alleges breach of contract against television group in fee dispute

Cincinnati Bell Extended Territories LLC, operating as altafiber, has launched a legal battle against Sinclair Television Group, Inc. and Deerfield Media (Cincinnati) Licensee, LLC over an alleged scheme to hike retransmission fees unlawfully. The complaint was filed by altafiber in the Court of Common Pleas in Hamilton County, Ohio on October 24, 2025. The defendants are accused of breaching contractual obligations and attempting to impose exorbitant fees for the retransmission of Cincinnati broadcast station WSTR.

The lawsuit centers around Sinclair’s alleged manipulation of its relationship with Deerfield Media to sidestep Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ownership restrictions and subsequently impose new terms on altafiber. For over a decade, Sinclair reportedly maintained operational control over WSTR through Deerfield Media, which was formed specifically to hold the station’s license due to FCC limitations. Recently, Sinclair exercised an option to reclaim the WSTR license from Deerfield without altering its control or management of the station. This move led Sinclair to declare WSTR a “New Eligible Station” under a separate retransmission consent agreement with the National Cable Television Cooperative (NCTC), purportedly terminating altafiber’s existing agreement with Deerfield mid-term.

Altafiber contends that this maneuver violates both their existing agreements and principles of good faith and fair dealing. According to the complaint, the Deerfield Retransmission Consent Agreement grants altafiber rights through December 31, 2026, at specified rates and does not permit early termination under current circumstances. The company argues that Sinclair’s actions have forced them into paying six times the agreed per-subscriber fees while carrying additional multicast streams not required under their original contract.

The plaintiff seeks judicial intervention to enforce its contractual rights and obtain a declaration affirming that the Deerfield agreement governs until 2026. They also aim to recover overpayments made under protest and prevent further misconduct by Sinclair and Deerfield that could harm altafiber’s operations and customer relationships.

Represented by attorneys Anthony J. Hornbach, Ned Babbitt, and Daniela Foltz from Thompson Hine LLP, altafiber is seeking damages amounting to at least $2.1 million along with pre-judgment and post-judgment interest. The case is being presided over by Judge Matthew W. McFarland under Case ID: 1:25-cv-00871-MWM.