WTNH-TV and its smaller sister station WCTX-TV are no longer available to customers of DirecTV because of a dispute over a new distribution agreement.

The two Connecticut television outlets are among 159 stations in 113 markets owned by Texas-based Nextstar Media Group that were removed from DirecTV after the retransmission agreement between the companies expired Sunday afternoon.

"Nexstar is now asking for significantly higher rates. In fact, they are looking for rate increases for more than 200 local TV stations and a national news channel they own in more than 100 different metro areas across the U.S., reaching 68 percent of U.S. TV households," DirecTV said in a statement. "In many metro areas, Nexstar owns two local ABC, CBS, NBC, or FOX affiliates, and the company is demanding to include CW and low-rated channels in its lineups."

"Nexstar often uses its market size to demand significant price increases, often leading to temporary disruptions in broadcasting. This is a key tactic Nexstar uses with DirectTV and other pay TV providers to significantly increase how much you pay for the same programming," DirecTV said.

Thomas Tyrer, a DirecTV spokesman said the company, which AT&T has an ownership stake in, doesn't break out subscriber numbers by local market for competitive reasons. Tyrer said the rate increases Nexstar is seeking are "more than double the previous amount for the same content“ — which would pass on additional costs to customers.

Without a new contract, he said DirecTV is prohibited from serving Nexstar stations until the two sides reach a new agreement.

In a similar dispute in March, Altice, a Long Island City, N.Y., cable television provider that serves 28 Connecticut municipalities removed WTNH from its channel lineup in Fairfield County.

"Millions of Americans across the country have lost their access to local news, traffic, weather, sports, and entertainment programming, critical updates regarding summer storms and tornadoes, as well as the upcoming battle in soccer for the Women's World Cup, and Major League Baseball's All-Star Game," Nexstar said in a statement. Nexstar is the largest local TV station owner in the U.S.

Rich Graziano, WTNH's vice president and general manager of the company's two television stations, was not immediately available for comment on Monday. But a message on the WTNH web site is urging Connecticut viewers to call DirecTV to urge them to "end this nonsense, demand a rebate or switch providers."

Disputes over agreements between the companies airing the programming and the companies re-transmitting have become commonplace here in Connecticut and around the country, with consumers caught in the middle. In an effort to win the public relations battle with Nextstar, DirecTV has produced a short video that is available on YouTube, explaining its position in the dispute.

Steve Kalb, a broadcast journalism instructor-in-residence at UConn and former broadcaster, said money is central theme in all of the disputes.

"It's all about how much a viewer is worth, how they are viewing the programming and when they are viewing it," Kalb said. "ESPN is shedding on air talent like crazy because people aren't watching ESPN as much as they used to."

Allowing consumers to pick programs they want to watch a la carte "would save consumers money," he said.

"But that's not what cable operators and satellite operators are interested in," Kalb said.