A couple of weeks after months of failed negotiations saw CBS' network blocked out on Dish for half a day, another set of broken down talks has resulted in a blackout of Fox from the satellite service provider's programming.
Dish Network ceded a feature of its features can gave CBS more bang for its advertising bucks it received. The Dish's concessions and CBS' offering of Showtime video on demand saw the blackout lifted just 12 hours after it was established, though Fox' programming has already been blacked out of the satellite service provider's lineup for much longer.
Fox has blacked out the Fox News Channel and the Fox Business Network from Dish Network's lineup. The blackout began in the evening on Dec. 20.
"It's like we're about to close on a house and the realtor is trying to make us buy a new car as well," says Warren Schlichting, Dish Network's senior vice president of programming. "Fox blacked out two of its news channels, using them as leverage to triple rates on sports and entertainment channels that are not in this contract."
Dish Network says it tried to offer Fox a short-term contract to allow more time for negotiations, but the deal was declined. The pair has had a productive and lengthy relationship before the current falling out, according to Schlichting.
"We regret the service disruption to our customers, and remain committed to reaching an agreement that promptly returns this content to DISH's programming lineup," says Schlichting.
Unlike the CBS blackout, which the heated nature of the spat with Fox has left the boardrooms and have been put in front of the public. Fox has set up a new website, calling its faithful viewers to put the pressure on Dish Network or to switch to another pay-TV provider if the company won't budge from its stance.
"Through nearly two decades on the air, FOX News has never before had a blackout due to a business dispute," stated the Keep Fox News website on Dec. 21. "Unfortunately, DISH Network has decided to block your access to Fair and Balanced news programming that you can't get anywhere else."
Referencing the CBS blackout, Tim Carry, vice president of Fox News Channel says this is the second time in as many months that Dish Network customers have had to suffer through blacked out content. The fault is with Dish's "intransigence," Carry says.
"Dish's record speaks for itself, and makes its rhetoric about 'reasonable' agreements ring hollow," says Carry.
