Dish Network and Fox Networks on Friday settled a dispute that had threatened to have Fox programming go dark for Dish customers.
Dish and Fox had been negotiating for weeks on terms of a new contract for the Douglas County-based satellite TV firm to purchase the programming.
Had the deal not been reached Friday, access to 27 Fox affiliate stations nationwide — including KDVR-Channel 31 in Denver — would have been denied to Dish customers effective midnight Sunday.
The threatened shutdown came at a critical time for viewers, with Fox broadcasting the World Series and the network’s local affiliates preparing for Election Day coverage.
Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Analysts said the parties had been far apart in negotiations. Dish was seeking to limit programming-fee increases and resultant subscription-rate hikes, while Fox was adamant that it be paid more for supplying content.
“After prolonged negotiations to reach a fair deal, we’re pleased to enter into a long-term agreement with Fox and to assure our customers that they can continue to enjoy these channels,” said Dave Shull, senior vice president of programming for Dish.
Shull described the agreement as “a fair deal that reinforces Dish Network’s position as the best value in television.”
Dish, the nation’s second-largest satellite-TV provider behind Direc TV, lost 19,000 customers from its 14 million subscriber base in the second quarter from competitive pressures and economic weakness.
Since Oct. 1, a related dispute had caused Dish subscribers to lose Fox-owned stations FX, National Geographic Channel and 19 of Fox’s regional sports networks, but not Fox Sports Net Rocky Mountain, which has separate ownership.
Friday’s deal restores those channels to Dish customers, as well as preserves access to Fox network and local affiliate programming.
Satellite TV analyst Matthew Harrigan of Wunderlich Securities said Dish is particularly vulnerable to increases in programming costs because unlike some cable companies, Dish does not have separate revenue streams from voice and data services.
Steve Raabe: 303-954-1948 or sraabe@denverpost.com
