Verizon FiOS has dropped The Weather Channel, the cable provider announced early Tuesday morning.

Verizon sent an email to its subscribers to let them know its agreements to carry The Weather Channel and Weather Scan expired, and have not been renewed.



"In today's environment, customers are increasingly accessing weather information not only from their TV but from a variety of online sources and apps," the company said in a statement.

In the same email to customers, Verizon announced it was adding the new AccuWeather Network, on FiOS TV channel 119 and 619 (HD), plus its free FiOS Mobile App. The WeatherBug "widget" app, which provides local weather updates, can also be accessed on FiOS TV channel 49 or by pressing the "widget" button on the remote.

The Weather Channel has not publicly commented on the dispute, but its staff has expressed disappointment on social media.

The Weather Channel anchor and managing editor Sam Champion retweeted viewers' complaints about the change, including one fan who threatened to cancel their Verizon FiOS subscription.

"Sounds like a pretty foolish move on their part," fellow meteorologist Jim Cantore wrote on Twitter. "Hopefully this is temporary," he added in another tweet.

An online petition similarly criticized Verizon, calling for the channel to be reinstated because "The Weather Channel offers coverage of storms and daily programming; which no other channel can offer."

When asked if contract negotiations are ongoing, a rep for Verizon FiOS confirmed the company is "going in a different direction" and won't be making a new agreement with The Weather Channel.

UPDATE: The Weather Channel says it's "disappointed" and "surprised" Verizon FiOS dropped the channel "without warning."