Dish Drops FOX Networks After Dispute
According to a report from John Ourand of the Sports Business Journal, Dish network has dropped all of their FOX channels; Fox, Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports 2 and the Big Ten Network from its lineup, as of Thursday afternoon.
This puts Dish subscribers of missing NFL, MLB, and WWE events. Dish is also the owner of Sling, so Sling subscribers will be affected as well. Fox released the following statement on the matter:
Dish/Sling is at it again, choosing to drop leading programming as a negotiating tactic regardless of the impact on its own customers. Dish/Sling elected to drop Fox networks in an effort to coerce us to agree to outrageous demands. While we regret this is DISH/Sling’s preferred approach to negotiating, we remind our loyal viewers that the Fox services are widely available through every other major television provider.
Dish then came back with the following statement, disputing FOX’s claims:
Fox’s actions are profoundly anti-consumer. Fox is raising prices and turning its back on its public obligation to provide channels to consumers for free. It’s clear that Fox cares more about padding its bottom line than serving its viewers. To add insult to injury, Fox pulled its channels right as viewers head into the heart of the NFL and college football season. We ask Fox to stop punishing its own viewers so we can focus on reaching a fair deal.
It remains unknown how long the dispute will last, but we’ll keep you updated.
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