In a retransmission context, who pays whom?

• A. Broadcast Stations pay MVPD
• B. Advertisers pay MVPD
• C. MVPD pays Broadcast Stations
• D. Viewers pay both

Answer: (C)

Retransmission consent involves the right to carry a broadcaster’s local signal being licensed to the MVPD, and the MVPD typically compensates the broadcaster for that right. In this arrangement, the money flows from the multichannel video programming distributor to the broadcast stations as part of the carriage agreement. Advertisers’ payments go to the MVPD for ads, not to cover the retransmission right, and viewers’ payments to the MVPD for service are separate from the retransmission fee flow. The must-carry option exists but is not about licensing fees; the question focuses on the usual compensation under retransmission consent, which is why the MVPD paying the broadcasters is the correct interpretation.