Dish is now without at least 106 channels due to 11 different carriage battles that span from last Wednesday night to 30 months ago. The blacked-out channels include 75 local network affiliates, and 31 regional sports networks.
Update, February 4: The number of missing channels has been reduced to 39. Dish and Tegna have signed a new carriage agreement.
The oldest fight dates back to July 2019 when Dish, and its live streaming service, Sling TV, lost the then-Fox Sports-named regional sports channels. (Sinclair, which now owns the channels, has renamed them, Bally Sports.) Despite lengthy negotiations last year between Dish and Sinclair, the satcaster did not sign a new pact for the RSNs and there’s no indication they will return anytime soon. (Dish last year did renew its local channel agreement with Sinclair.)
The most recent fee fight started last Wednesday when Dish lost seven Block Television–owned local channels when the companies failed to reach a new deal.
Updated: Dish and Block settle fee fight.
In most of the battles, if not all, money is the root of disagreement. Dish has contended the other side is asking for an unreasonable increase in fees while the broadcaster/programmer usually counters that it’s no more than what others have paid.
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Dish is right that rival pay TV operators have engaged in more carriage battles in the last few years as they look to reduce expenses to offset shrinking subscriber revenues triggered by cord cutting. But there’s no question that Dish is the king of the fee fight. In addition to the 11 ongoing battles, Dish is missing several regional sports channels in disputes that date back several years. And at one point a year ago, Dish was missing 236 channels due to carriage rows, although that number was somewhat misleading because a fight with Nexstar included 165 local channels.
Dish maintains that the hardline stance it takes in negotiations enables it to keep subscriber fees down. But Dish’s subscribers often take to this site, and others, to express their frustration with the constant interruption (or elimination) of favorite channels. Many say they would cancel Dish if they were not in a two-year contract that includes an early termination penalty.
Here is a rundown of the 106 channels that are now missing on Dish due to carriage fights over the last few years:
Tegna — 64 local channels
Sinclair-owned Regional Sports Channels — 21
Block Communications — 7 local channels
Updated: Dish and Block settle fee fight.
AT&T Regional Sports Channels — 3
NBC Sports Regional Sports Channels — 3
Circle City Broadcasting — 2 local channels
University of Missouri — 2 local channels
Altitude Sports — 1 regional sports channel
MASN — 1 regional sports channel
NESN — 1 regional sports channel
Root Sports — 1 regional sports channel
Update: Dish also lost NBC Sports Chicago in October 2019 so the number is 107.
Update #2: Dish is also missing three Fort Myers, Florida local stations, bringing the total to 110.
Update #3: With the Block settlement, Dish is now missing at least 103 channels.
Update #4: February 4, 2022: Dish and Tegna have signed a new deal. Blackout is over.
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— Phillip Swann
I’m going to attempt to use their ongoing fights as a way to not pay my termination fee if they don’t end these fights before the Olympics. Tired of not getting what I’m paying for and there are plenty of other options.
IN CASE you don’t already know this…DISH CAN NOT “collect” (as well as AT&T’ POS DIRECTV) on ANY MONEY you “owe” them..oh they can saber rattle and bug you on the phone but they will NEVER SEE A PENNY unless YOU cave. YOU will not get service from them if/when they disco you but I assume that you don’t care about re subscribing anyway…BOTTOM LINE DON’T pay them it is no big deal….
You think I’m worried about my credit with these clowns. I am 70 years old and sick of being taken for a fool …I only have had Dish for 7 months and lost 2 main channels….probably more now I REFUSE TO PAY FOR SOMETHING THATS IN MY OPINION IS FRAUD…
If you’re on Auto Pay they will rob you blind.
I had to close bank account then open a new one. It was a hassle but I refuse to let them take what the want!
It’s not right that there are so many channels missing , yet we are still paying for ALL the channels (subscribed to) every month! They should reimburse everyone for the amount you are being charged but not receiving!
True..I am canceling I am sick of more than half my channels being channels selling crap.
You say I would not have to pay but is there any legal advice on the internet that provides more cover?
Good luck with your account going to collections and a credit score downgrade.
Have any readers here canceled dish without paying the cancelation fee and experienced a ding on their credit? I suppose dish will be looking at these threads and answer, yes. Where is the class action against these guys?
You can have bank stop auto pay. My bank charges 35.00 to stop
Yes totally agree
Me too…especially now that the Superbowl is on NBC. It’s absurd that we can’t watch the world’s most watched sporting event on TV. That’s gotta be grounds for breaking the contract.
Yep total agree. It hit about 2 weeks ago about what channel the super bowl was going to be on. I was like oh no!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! When I saw NBC. I would cancel but I’m only about 6 months in a 2 year agreement.. maybe I will just go down to the cheapest plan and get DirecTV back there more expensive but there system runs way smoother
I agree I am tired of paying for all these channels I’m not even getting And have not been able to see any shows on channel 9 saints August thirdly And have not been able to see any shows on channel 9 saints August I want to cancel dish but I am in a 2 year contract And don’t want to pay the early termination fee I am ready just to say Forget it and I’m going to cancel dish
Ran out of breath lol trying to read your story without one damn period
If Dish doesn’t come to some conclusion they need to reimburse customers for 106 channels that was lost it’s mostly advertising channels now bring back the channels or pay up!!!!
Dish’s (Charlie) negotiation issues is one reason I hope if/when Dish and DTV merge that the merged company is operated by another entity besides Charlie. If I had Dish I would have left a long, long time ago.
…as I have posted MANY TIMES…THERE IS NO NEED for Charlie to “MERGE” with the DEAD HORSE of DIRECTV. ALL he has to do is WAIT until what is left of that useless overpriced run but morons service to DIE and he will be the ONLY service you can get if you want satellite (until the lights go out all together on what is left of satellite tv that is) STREAMING is NOT GOING to SAVE ANY of those services. INTERNET (ya know like YOU are reading NOW) is LOADED with ALL KINDS of OTHER ways to PASS TIME and TV is a DEAD HORSE for ALL except the couch potato trolls that can’t use internet because thy have the IQ of a houseplant !!
Some of us houseplants don’t have strong enough wifi to stream.
Stay on point, Idiot boy! this is ALL ABOUT CHARLIE! Nothing in this article mentions DirecTV, (which doesn’t lose stations like asshole charlie… Houseplant? you only wish you were that smart
This couch potato troll loves living in BFE and that involves Horrible so called “High speed DSL” internet so satellite TV service is my only choice. When they burn out guess I will need to get some houseplants to look after.
Some of us can ONLY have DISH internet
Hey moron. Tegna went dark a week before Dish even did. Yes they have it back but yes direct did raise there rates even more. Want your channels back be ready to oay extra. Yes it’s BS but no one should ask for a billion more for free local channels. I bought an antenna dish sells for a hundred and now I don’t pay 12 a month for locals. The antenna integrates with my guide and all tvs. Should of done it sooner.
Sounds like SOON the problem will be GONE.
If they can get it down to “NO” Channels, (In contract dispute)
There will be NOTHING to subscribe to.
It would be nice if the Programmers would come to their senses.
I wonder what the monthly fee will be once they get down to zero channels!
I will say that when YouTube TV had a carriage dispute with Disney, it only lasted a couple of days and YTTV automatically credited my account $15 for the inconvenience. Dish has never done that without calling and complaining!
Unfortunately, much of my family lives in rural areas and dish or directv are the only options. Letting them merge would probably be a disaster for them.
I have been with Dish 5 years they remove channels all the time.they say it’s to keep rates low. But they have raised my bill every year. They sent me a email saying I need to update my debit card or they are going to charge me a late fee. I haven’t had a contract with them for 2 years. So then shutting off my cable is welcomed 😊👍
I spoke to dish last night.the girl goes its only been since Sept that you haven’t had the channels but you still have to pay . she said you could get paramount +
I go I m paying to much now and you tell me to pay more.
I’m going for early termination and I’m not paying for it
I wonder if a class action lawsuit has been started. If my subscription is $121.69 for 200 channels on Dish I expect to be able to watch 200 channels at any given time and if I can’t I expect them to make a change to the price they’re charging me. I’m pretty sure I’m not alone on this!!
So the question remains, when the satellite and calbe guys lose enough customers to the point they can’t pay these outrageous carriage fees, what then? Will channels disappear from Dish and Direct never to be seen again until the providers come to their senses or what?
This is the second time I’ve had Dish, it will be my last time. I’ll explore other options in my new home.
I finally left dish network after 20 years because they dropped my RSN under the pretense of “saving me money”. Interestingly my monthly bill never was reduced for the loss of the channel. Don’t be fooled the loss of these channels is simply a price increase in disguise. Here’s a tip. If you never saw a decrease in your bill file a complaint with the FCC. Dish gave me my local networks free for a year as well as a discounted rate for the same 12 months. I dumped them as soon as the discounts ran out.
Yeah, they pretty much told me that my RSN was only an additional $1 on my bill. So I said, why don’t you just charge everyone $1 on their bill, so Dish could keep the contract with the RSN programmers. They declined to answer.
I cancelled my dish and paid the cancellation fee. I dont see dish investing and more money into their satellite network or HW products. I think it is slowing winding down (no capital investment). There are many items they could improve (upscale the signal at the box, do wireless HD in the house (they currenlty only do SD signal format). Plus they will allow only 1 signal from the hopper 3 to be upscaled by dish anywhere application running on firebox. I believe it is a software limitation not a HW limitation. I see improvements in the streaming “sling” services and recently they bought a FCC frequencies (greater than 5G). I think dish is trying to morph into another cell phone provider or to make them a prospect for a company takeover for their sling business and new FCC broadband range. Still no future for Dish Satellite. With SpaceX broadband, soon everyone will have the broadband option and dish will die then
Wrong there is no. SD AT ALL, ON DISH. ALL SD SATS HAVE BEEN DISABLED WITH FREE UPGRADES TO HD BOXES.
I oversimplified. My definition of HD has changed over time which technically it is UHD. Dish will do HD but not UHD. The one channel they have UHD hardly has anything on it.
Mark can you tell me what amount DIsh charged for your cancellation fee? I assume it was based on amount of time left on contract. It would be helpful for me going forward.
We have had dish for a number of years although might be time to make a change.
I’m a hostage to the Tegna battle so will miss the Olympics and the Superbowl. I don’t own a smart TV so no streaming.
I like DISH, super dependable but seriously the hard ball only hurts their users
You don’t need a smart tv to stream. Buy a Roku streaming device for less than $30 and plug it into your tv. You can get whatever streaming services you want.
Did they ever restore the three TV stations (WHDH/WLVI in Boston & WSVN in Miami) owned by Sunbeam Television, or do they all remain off DISH?
I’m very glad that I have Sparklight TV now.
I HAVE BEEN WITH DISH for a long time I don’t know what has happened to them they have quit sending me email when my bill is coming out of my checking account I don’t like that
Dish has been going down hill bye bye Dish network
They want to keep my rate low, but in the mean time I am paying $10.00 per month to get the channel he has cut me off from – and my bill is still $50.00 more than last year. Dish is my preferred provider, but I have only been back a year this time after leaving for DTV for a better price and even worse service. It is all a racket, charging for the local channels is such a scam!
I have Dish and all of these channels are active besides peacock
The channels are not available on Dish.
Yep, I have Dish and for the last 5 yes it’s been a mess, but where I live at don’t have any choices and as far as Dish keeping fees down, not happening they change the guide and the bill stays the same
Losing channels, but no drop in bill total!!!🤔🤔🤔
I have my Tenga station on Spectrum cable dump Dish
So do I. I’m glad I’ve ditched DISH nearly two years ago
I dumped the Dish and got Directv stream. A far better service. Dish’s fallacious argument that customers don’t want to pay for channels they don’t watch has no merit. The exact same argument can be made for virtually all channels as most customers only watch a handful of channels anyway.
CBS 8 channel WSEEP was removed due to contract dispute. It’s been a while yet they still charge me the same price for local channels. I just don’t get it. For the Paramount app would be an aid yet it’s not available where I live. Anyway if this continues my option is to drop Dish.
I cant wait until there is an alternative to DISH…
Lol
Don’t worry because both satellite companies will be gone soon. Direct has been bleeding customers for years too. They lost so many AT& T sold most of the company off for a fraction of the cost that they paid for the company just a few years ago. AT&T said a couple years ago they were not going to invest any more money into the launch of new satellites because satellite tv is pretty much a dead horse. Once both companies lose enough customers they will both be gone. I bet in less than 8 years we will all be sitting around joking about the old technology that use to go out when it stormed and rained outside lol. RIP Dish and Direct you both had your time in history but it’s on to better technology.
Some things that should start are customers should stop purchasing their smart home products and services. You wouldn’t believe how the technicians are treated and pressured to make those sales. I worked for them for 13 years and over saw an entire state of employees for years. I’ve sat in on biweekly strategy video calls for years. I promise you this they take your viewing habits, personal Metadata and they know how to get your money. Everyone should disconnect the broadband from being connected to their VIP&hopper systems. They rely on that data in many ways mostly the cash it helps make them. I could go on and on for days about their operation. But the simple truth is more people just need to bite the bullet & ditch them. I didn’t even pay for that crap when I worked for them through a major authorized retailer for Dish. And that’s even with a $50 monthly employee discount towards services. You don’t watch nearly as much TV. Or a large enough channel base to make the cost even remotely worth it FACTS! Stop using TV as a babysitter for young children to much TV is not good for developing minds. Figure out how much you pay YEARLY. Then figure out what your top 3 streaming services would cost on that internet you already pay for there HELLO SAVINGS!! I prefer Amazon, Apple TV+ & hulu honestly and I’m always watching those to take advantage of even more savings. Like for the next year I get hulu for $1 a month apple tv $4 a month and I share a Amazon account with family so i get that free. I watch less TV now and I have a happier life for it. You just have to tell yourself it will be ok it really will. But going back on what I like to call the true Family and friends plan. Get a few family and friends that are of like mind. Everyone cancels their service and buys a Google chromecast with remote (under $50) has any app you could would ever want or need. Everyone picks 1 app to pay for monthly and you all share account logins. Everyone gets logged in on all the apps on their chromecast dongle. You can customize and arrange your apps how you would like to display them on your home screen. Your entertainment dashboard would be 1,000 times better then dish and would cost just a fraction of the price. Time to get smart and think outside the cable/satellite box.
DISH also has a dispute with Lilly Broadcasting. Our CBS affilliate in Puerto Rico has been blacked out since October.
It’s far from perfect, but we’ve been quite satisfied with Dish, as evidenced by the fact that we have remained with them since 2008. Heck, we receive more than 300 channels for a mere $174 a month. It’s a bargain as far as I’m concerned! I never expected to get every Sirius XM Radio channel included too, which makes me even happier. That’s the bill I enjoy paying each month. After all, our family of five has to pay about $120 for a trip to the movie theater to see a new film, and that’s only for two hours of entertainment! We have so very many channels through Dish, that we’ll simply watch something else if certain channels are temporarily unavailable. We’re adaptable in that way. We currently plan to remain with Dish on an indefinite basis.
Okay Mr. Marsh-mellow. I guess you have no interest in sports because if you did their actions might piss you off at least slightly. Regardless of the other 800 channels you get. First, they cancelled NESN- Which means I do not get all Bruins hockey home and away games. Also, although I do not like the Red Sox, I do not get those games either. Then they cancelled ABC/ FOX- local programming – no Sunday Football normally shown for free taken away. So, I decided to dump DTV for Dish was due to the bill jumping all the time by about 50-75 dollars a month for no reason. Just burned out on it. I am ready to quit dish due to their cancellation of channels with not regard to THEIR CONTRACT. They broke the contract by not carrying channels that were live and good when I signed up so now what???DONE
How about bait and switch they offered voice remote and binge watching on the hopper 3 now Google you have to have Google to use the voice remote and they did away with binge watching the square that used to read play all now says deselect I’m throwing in the towel I’m sick and tired of all the reruns from the 50 60 70 80s and 90s they’re full of commercials the only movies you can get or old movies and if you were dumb enough to go to on demand you have to use your internet to play a movie that’s full of commercials and you can’t fast forward they ought to be sharing themselves.
I’m so tired of paying for channels I’m not getting, and they keep taking away more! Something has got to be done with this crooked dish network!