But if the deal goes through, that would have the satellite provider offering 46 television stations in 38 markets across 33 states that are under Tegna’s umbrella.
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At the heart of the dispute was Dish’s bid to increase the rates it charges Tegna to get its programming on the satellite network.
Dish said it has offered an extension to the current contract that would leave the programming on and include a provision for new rates to be applied retroactively. “With Hurricane Joaquin forecast to potentially impact several Tegna markets”, the two companies said in a statement. This act, Tegna claims, has Dish “preventing its customers from accessing valued channels, even as customers continue to pay for that content”. Our position has been simple: the same fundamental terms that allowed us to reach deals with distributors nationwide should serve as the basis for our deal with Dish.
R. Stanton Dodge, Dish’s executive vice president and general counsel, said that Tegna’s decision to cut off access to subscribers is a “prime example of why Washington needs to stand up for consumers and end local channel blackouts”.
On Sunday afternoon the companies announced they’ve reached multi-year agreement but would not elaborate.
TEGNA Inc. (NYSE: TGNA), formerly Gannett Co., Inc., is comprised of a dynamic portfolio of media and digital businesses that provide content that matters and brands that deliver.
On KUSA’s news website, 9News, they explain their side of the story to Dish Network Subscribers.
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“WGRZ is now not available on DISH”, according to the note. In fact, we have never had a service disruption with a major distributor before. It said it has always been able to reach a fair agreement with other providers without disrupting viewers.
