For just a minute, Dish Network improved greatly. After failing to come to an agreement with Fox News, Fox yanked Fox Business and Fox News from the Dish network lineup.
Dish has more than 14 million satellite TV customers. Fox is urging viewers with emails and tweets to switch to another TV provider.
Both sides in the latest spat are blaming each other. Englewood, Colorado-based Dish Network Corp. said in a statement that 21st Century Fox, Inc., was blocking access to the two chancels as part of contract negotiations. New York-based Fox said Dish shut down the server at 11:50 p.m. Saturday, 10 minutes before the contract ended.
Dish blamed Fox for introducing other channels into negotiations despite those not being included in the contract up for renewal.
"It's like we're about to close on a house and the Realtor is trying to make us buy a new car as well," Warren Schlichting, Dish's senior vice president of programming, said in a statement "Fox blacked out two of its news channels, using them as leverage to triple rates on sports and entertainment channels that are not in this contract."
Fox said Dish was to blame for prematurely shutting down the network "in an attempt to intimidate and sway our negotiations."
Yes, for a moment I had hope. Then I noticed what Dish substituted for Fox News. Do you see it in that image?
That's right, the Dish substitute for Fox News is Glenn Beck's The Blaze, with CNBC taking the place of Fox Business. Instead of seeing Huckajesus and crazy Judge Jeanine, Dish viewers will be treated to Dana Loesch, Glenn Beck, and the entire stable of crazies.
Sigh.
[h/t Jamie]
