Fox channel blacked out on Dish Network in dispute over fees
WSVN website warned that signal could be dropped
Subscribers of the Dish Network satellite TV service in Broward and MiamiDade counties woke up Thursday without Fox Broadcasting Co. affiliate WSVN-Ch. 7 after the companies apparently failed to negotiate a contract extension thisweek.
WSVN’s website warned that its signal could be dropped by Dish after Sept. 11 if negotiations toupdatethe channel’s carriage agreement with Dish were unsuccessful.
Thursday morning, an employee who answered the phone at WSVN confirmed that the channel had been pulled fromDish.
A WSVN spokeswoman did not respond to requests for comment by email and phone messages seeking comment.
In a news release, Dish said Sunbeam Television Co., WSVN’s owner, “chose to black out its own viewers” by pulling stations in Miami and Boston.
“We offered an extension to keep the channels up while we reach a deal, but they refused,” Andy LeCuyer, Dish’s senior vice president of programming, was quoted as saying. The release said Sunbeam is demanding “more than double the current rates” for its channels.
Blackoutsofpayandfree over-the-air channels are becoming more common as cable, satellite and streaming services resist pressure by the channels’ parent companies to pay more to carry their signals.
A message on WSVN’s website reminded viewers that theywould still be able to access the network free with an over-the-air antenna or through other cable and video providers. Thesiteurges viewers with concerns to call Dish at 1-800-333-3474.
Dish, meanwhile, said it will provide affected customers with free over-theair antennas to pull in signals that can be integrated into itsDVR.
Customers who choose to receive local signals this way can save $12 a month off their bills, Dish said.
WSVN broadcasts NFL games on Sundays and other popular Fox Network programs such as “The Simpsons,” “Family Guy,” “Empire” and “So You Think You Can Dance.”
A dispute between CBS and AT&T, owner of DirecTV and U-verse, kept CBSaffiliates in Miami and 16 other cities, plus other CBS-owned channels, off of AT&T’s systems for 19 days earlier this summer.
The Walt Disney Co. warned viewers during the premiere ofMonday Night Football that its dispute with AT&T could threaten continued availability of ESPN and Disney channels, plus Disney’s Freeform channels, on AT&T’s systems. No deadlinewas given. Efforts to ban flavored e-cigarettes and reduce their appeal to young consumers have sputtered under industry pressure this year. OnWednesday, the Trump Administration called for a ban on flavored e-cigarettes.