Dish says Disney wants a $1 billion increase in fees, but Disney denies this. After failing to reach a carriage-renewal agreement on Friday, Disney's suite of 20 TV channels was removed from Dish Network's satellite television and Sling TV services for customers across the U.S.
ESPN, FX, Disney Channel, Freeform, and National Geographic, along with ABC local stations in eight markets, are no longer available on Dish TV or Sling TV. The prior carriage agreement between the two businesses ended on September 30 at midnight PT. Dish has earned a reputation as a pay TV industry bully for its tough negotiating stance with content providers, even going so far as to endure prolonged blackouts.
A representative for Dish Network stated that Disney did not want to renew the company's contract to broadcast Disney Channel, Disney XD, and Disney Junior via satellite and online streaming. Dish claims its rural customers will be hit harder by their decision to stop bargaining over channel carriage because they have fewer alternatives for paying for television service.
We'll keep haggling to get you the lowest price possible. Sling TV boss Gary Schanaman said on Saturday that the company aims to offer "fair rates, reliable service, and the freedom of choice to pay for the channels they watch most" to its customers. To paraphrase, "Disney is a key long-term partner for us, and we hope they will be reasonable in their demands so that we can reach a fair agreement and bring our customers' channels back as quickly as possible."
Disney executives have been silent about the blackout since Saturday morning.
Dish Network has been aggressive in recent years in its negotiations with programmers and television station owners to increase fees in exchange for the right to transmit their channels and networks. A Dish Network executive earlier this year blamed a decline in satellite and streaming subscribers on a dispute with local TV station owner TEGNA, which led to the removal of dozens of local channels from the service.
Satellite television provider Dish Network has opted not to carry regional sports channels from Comcast's NBC Universal or Sinclair Broadcast Group's Diamond Sports because they are too expensive and not of enough interest to their target audience.
Disney claims that their desired terms and conditions are in line with the market and have served as the basis for many successful deals with pay-TV providers of varying sizes and types across the country. We are dedicated to finding a mutually agreeable solution and encourage Dish to cooperate with us so that as few of their customers as possible are affected by this situation.
According to Dish, Disney is demanding that ESPN and ESPN2 be included in Dish's TV packages, which do not currently include sports channels, as part of the fee increase. In addition, Dish TV has stated that "Now Disney wants to take this away by forcing most Dish customers in their ABC markets to pay for local channels," despite the fact that the company has previously allowed subscribers to remove local channels in order to reduce their monthly bills.
According to Disney,
Disney "has exploited its market position to increase fees without regard for the public viewing experience," said Dish TV's executive vice president and group president, Brian Neylon. "It's abundantly clear that Disney puts its bottom line ahead of the interests of its American audience, particularly the sports fans and families with children who watch their content," one critic wrote.
The complete list of Disney-owned channels that are going dark is as follows: ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNews, ESPN Deportes, Disney Channel, Disney Jr., Disney XD, Freeform, FX, FXX, FXM, National Geographic, Nat Geo Wild, Nat Geo Mundo, ACC Network, SEC Network, Longhorn Network, and Baby TV.
There are a number of ABC-owned stations that are no longer available on Dish and Sling TV. These include stations in Chicago (WLS), Fresno, California (KFSN), Houston, Texas (KTRK), Los Angeles, New York (WABC), Philadelphia, North Carolina (WPVI), Raleigh, North Carolina (WTVD), and San Francisco (KGO).
Content Source
- https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/dish-blackout-disney-espn-abc-carriage-dispute-1235390175/
- https://thedesk.net/2022/10/sling-tv-dish-network-drop-disney-espn-fx-abc-national-geographic/
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