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Dish subscribers have lost access to local channels in 42 markets in 31 states in a dispute with EW Scripps Company as the two companies have been unable to negotiate a new contract.
Various ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, CW, MyTV, independent and Telemundo stations in the markets are affected.
“To be clear, Scripps chose to hide its own viewers,” Dish’s senior vice president of programming Andy LeCuyer said in a statement. “We offered multiple extension options to keep the channels active as we continued to work to reach an agreement during these unprecedented times, but they refused.”
The company said Scripps made “an offer to take it or leave it just a few minutes before it expires.”
“The channels could come back today if Scripps allowed it, and we can restore the channels immediately if they give us the green light,” added LeCuyer. “As the nation faces the impact of the COVID-19 crisis and Hurricane Hanna makes landfall, viewers need access to their local news and shows. On behalf of clients, we ask Scripps to stop punishing its own viewers. so we can focus on getting a fair deal. “
Dish added that “it remains open to negotiate with Scripps to reach a fair settlement.”
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Scripps also said in a press release that he is “ready and able to reach an agreement.”
In exchange for using public airwaves, broadcasters provide their channels for free, accessible with a wireless digital antenna.
However, pay-TV companies must pay broadcasters to provide those same channels to their customers. If the two parties cannot reach an agreement, the pay television provider must stop delivering those stations.
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“Scripps is a company focused on providing local news and truthful and factual information to the communities it serves every day,” a Scripps spokesperson told FOX Business. “It is unfortunate that Dish cannot be honest with its customers about its tactics and the reality of the deal. Scripps has concluded multiple distribution contracts with other vendors this year and has never come to a standstill at any other time in our history. Dish certainly can’t say the same. “
| Heart | Security | Latest | Change | Change% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSP | EW SCRIPPS | 11.43 | +1.00 | + 9.59% |
| PLATE | DISH NETWORK CORPORATION | 33.36 | -0.04 | -0.12% |
The company added that “it has been negotiating in good faith with Dish for the past five months to reach a new agreement” and that “there has been almost no progress.”
“Dish has insisted on replacing the standard contractual terms agreed years ago with new terms clearly out of the market and in their favor,” the spokesperson added. “The core of our disagreement is this: if Dish wants to distribute our signal, it must be on industry standard terms and prices. Until Dish is willing to sign a fair deal for both parties, there are alternative ways for viewers to access Scripps “news programming, including through an over-the-air television antenna, through an Internet broadcast service, or through websites and mobile applications.”
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