Q. We lost our NBC station on Dish last week and we really want it back. Do you know when it will come back? Do you think it will be today? — Shelley, Bradford Woods, Pennsylvania.
Shelley, as you may know, Dish last Wednesday lost 14 Apollo Global Management-owned stations in 10 markets, including your NBC affiliate (WPXI-TV) in the Pittsburgh market. To see a complete list of the 14 stations, click here.
The stations, which are managed by the Cox Media Group, are claiming that Dish is refusing to pay what other pay TV providers are paying while Dish says it’s offered a higher rate than before. (Note: Pay TV providers have to pay local stations to carry their signals.)
Earlier today, I predicted that Dish’s fee fight with Scripps’ 60 local stations will end relatively soon. But I am not as optimistic about Dish vs. Apollo for two reasons.
1. The companies are engaged in a legal battle.
Dish and Apollo are engaged in a lawsuit over whether Dish’s previous carriage agreement for the 14 stations was prematurely ended when Apollo bought them from Cox Enterprises last year. The satcaster obtained a restraining order preventing Apollo from ending the past agreement, but a federal court last week halted the restraining order, which triggered the current blackout.
The legal skirmish makes this carriage dispute more complicated, and contentious, than usual. And that makes it less likely to end in a quick resolution.
2. Apollo’s TV holdings are relatively small.
Unlike Scripps, which has 60 stations, Apollo has just 14 stations. That means fewer Dish subscribers will be affected, which places less pressure on the satcaster to settle soon. Dish has a history of playing hardball in carriage disputes and it will be easier to hold out since a relatively small number of customers are demanding the stations’ return.
For those two reasons, Shelley, I could see the Dish-Apollo standoff lasting a month or more.
Have a question about new TV technologies? Send it to The TV Answer Man at swann@tvpredictions.com. Please include your first name and hometown in your message.
— Phillip Swann
@swanniontv
Get this. Settled.paying for something I can’t watch.missing Chicago Wednesdays.GET IT SETTLED NOW!
Dish is worthless. Look at Sinclair negotiations. Nothing but bullies
i signed up to include local channels. this feud has lasted over one month, and i find you as breach of our agreement to provide local channels
I’m sick of this nonsense. I’m paying for local stations, ABC, and haven’t had it since July. Get your business handled now.
Enough is enough! We’re going into the 3rd month of this dispute. I’m paying for ABC and can’t see it. The new fall shows are coming back on and I’m upset that there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight. I think a judge should make them put these channels back on for people paying for them while the corporates fight it out among themselves.
Give them what they want. Dayton needs WHIO tv.
Look we want our CBS Station channel 7 WHIO back..you need to settle soon or you r are going to loose a subscriber even of we might have to pay more….spectrum or direct tv. Its obvious you lost a lot subscribers so you are about to loose another…….FIGURE IT OUT.
We need KIRO TV back ASAP! They have programs that we watch every week! As customers, we shouldn’t have to stream shows over the internet!
Dish! Man up and make a deal with Apollo!
We are going through a pandemic and have lost a lot. Please give us Abc back!!!!!
Well, it seems to me the only people hurting are the people. Not sure What company wants more money to broadcast the station on Dish. But wouldn’t make more sense to have it Fox they get more viewers. So it comes down to the companies are too money hungry to think about the viewers. Well it makes no sense to me…
I am really getting tired of this. We have to deal with so much going on in the world-can we not watch the shows we are paying for!! Lets get this done already!!!!
This is getting ridiculous! We have been without CBS way too long! And with the new seasons starting up, we can’t watch a lot of our favorite programs because of this!! ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!
A month? What a joke. It’s been how long now? Greedy ass people.
It is about the greed.
This is the reason, a greedy guy, that doesn’t give 2 hoots the working man can watch his local TV News.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leon_Black
Castles all over the world, paying entertainers a million dollars a night to perform at his palace out on Long Island.
This is the reason, unlimited, self absorbed greed, to the highest degree.
I contacted Dish by phone and stated WFTV Orlando Fl area has been out in excess of (5) months .When will; the station return to service that I paid for on my Monthly Bill.I’ve read that the Courts stated the Dish Network is at fault no one else.If management would take a pay cut and return some of there Bonus money the problem could be resolved.Why don’t you continue sitting on your Thumbs.when contract is up you will be gone for good.
My Apollo station just popped up n Dish. Is the a temporary deal or what?
https://tvanswerman.com/2020/12/13/dish-settles-fee-fight-with-apollo-cox-blackout-ends/