Hey Trojans, Bruins and Kings fans: "Game over."
That was the banner headline of a full page ad purchased by News Corp. in the Los Angeles Times sports section Sunday, warning L.A.-area football fans that TV broadcasts of upcoming games could be compromised by subsidary Fox Networks' ongoing carriage war with former subsidiary DirecTV.
Similar ads in other markets with NFL teams warned fans that they could soon be without pro football.
The ad, which urges fans to "Get direct with DirecTV by logging onto KeepMyNets.com or by calling 866-KEEP-MY-NETS,' also says Fox broadcast channels could also soon go dark.
Also read: DirecTV Threatens to Pull FX, Nat Geo, Other Fox Networks Channels
On Thursday, Fox went public with details of an ongoing carriage dispute with DirecTV, announcing that the satellite service has threatened to pull its channels on Nov. 1 if a new contract can't be worked out.
The Fox Networks deal covers not only regional sports cable networks like Prime Ticket and Fox Sports West, but also FX and National Geographic.
Also read: D.C. Fed Up: Sen. Kerry Wants to Ban Carriage-War Blackouts
A separate deal covering 27 Fox owned and operated stations is set to expire on Dec. 31 — a fact Fox alluded to Sunday when it said it that Los Angeles viewers could also "soon" lose access to local stations Fox 11 and Fox 13.
Down the road, another affiliate deal covering Fox News Channel is set to expire January 31.
DirecTV officials — who are charging subscribers in excess of $80 a month for programming packages in the midst of an economic downturn — say News Corp. is seeking carriage-fee increases in excess of 40 percent.
The good news, if you want to call it that: L.A. fans don't have go worry about missing out on Lakers games with league owners and players seemingly further apart than ever on a new collective bargaining agreement.