It was a weekend of frustration for sports fans and those who simply wanted to watch an ABC Owned Station, if they were a Dish subscriber. A retransmission consent dispute erupted as October 1 began, leading Dish to immediately assail The Walt Disney Company and Disney replying that months of negotiations broke down, pointing fingers at the DBS provider.
By Monday, the dispute was over thanks to a “handshake agreement.”
Joe Flint at The Wall Street Journal got the official confirmation that the spat was over, with Disney providing a statement that it has a new deal in hand with Dish that reflects the fair market value of its cable and owned free-to-air television stations. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed by either party.
A finalized agreement is presently in front of each company’s legal counsel.
Dish had blocked its customers from receiving ESPN and its related networks, FX, Disney Channel and its related networks, Freeform, National Geographic, and all ABC Owned Stations.
According to WSJ, Disney fees for several of its networks are on the high side; citing Kagan, it says ESPN costs distributors nearly $9 a month.
On Saturday, Dish fired the first missive in the short-lived retransmission consent battle, saying Disney “forced a channel blackout” of its stations, including seven ABC Owned Stations. “The media conglomerate declined DISH’s offer for a contract extension, walked away from the negotiation table and refused to keep its programming accessible for millions of DISH and SLING customers across the United States,” Dish claimed.
DISH TV EVP/Group President Brian Neylon added, “Disney has exploited its market position to increase fees without regard for the public viewing experience. Clearly, Disney insists on prioritizing greed above American viewers, especially sports fans and families with children who watch their content.”
Disney had a response, which was obtained by Hollywood entertainment and business publication Deadline on Saturday. “After months of negotiating in good faith, DISH has declined to reach a fair, market-based agreement with us for continued distribution of our networks,” Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution said in a statement.
While the PR wars waged, it appears the lawyers were at work, leading to Monday’s quick resolution of a weekend without Mickey, “Eyewitness News” and the NFL.
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