Satellite MVPD DISH believes that television group Hoak Media is asking too much in retransmission fees. Hoak, on the other hand, believes DISH is offering below the going rate, and further objects to DISH’s ad-skipping system.
According to Hollywood Reporter, DISH says Hoak is asking for a 200% increase in fees. It also charges Hoak with failure to respect consumer control, pointing out that ad-skipping has been a fact of life since television began.
The current contract between the two parties expired at the end of April 2012.
Broadcasters in general have been pushing back against Hopper, an unsurprising development since it compromised the broadcast business model.
Hoak counters that it is merely asking for market value. “The carriage terms we offered Dish Network are consistent with what other operators pay broadcasters across the country, and reflects fair compensation for our programming. Our offer to Dish Network is consistent with agreements we have already reached with other cable operators in the market who recognize the value of the programming offered by our station.”
Hoak further notes that the amount DISH is offering is far less than what it pays for much lower rated cable channels.
