Q. I saw your update on DIRECTV and Tegna, but what about Dish and Nexstar? Can you tell us what’s new with that? I want my KTLA back! — Penelope, Pasadena, California.
Penelope, as you know, Dish on December 2 lost 164 Nexstar-owned local TV stations (and WGN America) in a fight over how much Dish should pay to carry their signals. For Dish subscribers, the blackout has become standard fare with the satcaster missing 223 channels due to eight different carriage disputes.
Update: Dish & Nexstar sign deal; end blackout.
Since the Nexstar battle began, Dish and the broadcaster have continued to blame the other for the blackout in dueling videos posted online.
Nexstar has accused Dish of triggering the fee fight on purpose to save money, noting that the satcaster has been involved in numerous channel disputes over the last few years. (Dish does not have to pay Nexstar during the blackout.) Dish has responded that refusing to meet Nexstar’s demands (and the initial demands of other programmers) enables it to offer lower prices than its rivals.
The videos are designed to win support with viewers who will then presumably pressure one or the other to settle. Of course, it’s debatable that they are effective, but you can expect to see more before this fight is resolved.
And when will that be?
As I have said before, I don’t expect this dispute to end soon. Dish does have a history of engaging in long blackouts and the prospect of paying any increase in fees for 164 local TV stations will undoubtedly encourage it to wait this one out, too. It could be months before it’s settled.
The TV Answer Man will continue to monitor this fight and report back here if and when anything changes.
Until then, happy viewing, and stay safe!
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
I think Dish and Nexstar does not want to settle there difference so we continue wishing. It I know what I know now I would stayed with Direct TV. We got some greedy people at the company’s. On day they will do something some day.
I had Direct TV my Bill got as high as how many channels I was getting
End this dispute now, I am still getting chaged by Dish for my local channels and the 4 that I want for local news and sports are unavailable. I don’t mind a slight increase just get my channels back to me. I live in a rural area where satellite is my only option.
Dish will supply and install free of charge an over the air antenna. I have one and I get all my local channels and then some. Just call Dish and ask for it.
I don’t care if dish and nexstar don’t settle. I have locast to get what once lost.
Both of you are losers. Here is what will happen I will cancel my dish network and I will never watch Nexstat again. I’ don’t give a DAMN what you think you are entitled to!!!!
JP
I guarantee by the first of the year I’ll I’ll use my satilite as a target.
That’s one big-“a” target. LUCK!
When will this end? this is an outrage!!!
I want WGN back ! If they don’t get it back before long I will switch to Comcast !
Don’t! Comcast is at&t in disguise. It’s the very worst of the cable providers.
Why? No sports, just reruns. Lousy programming.
I remember when here in south Central missouri we only got 4 channels on tv now we go craze if we don’t 200
Everyone should blackout DISH and put them out of business…I have never seen a worse cable company.. thought selecting them was a good choice, well now I know better and time to cancel!!!!!
Don’t blame Dish. This is all about Nextstar over valuing their properties and holding viewers and local advertisers hostage.
So how much of a discount is dish going to give us for losing channels? You charged us for them but you don’t have them. If I don’t see some kind of discount I will go on to Direct tv.
Dish gave me a$5.00 discount , that doesn’t pay for the _12.00 I pay for my local channels., But at least it’s something ! Not happy with Dish . 🥺
Nextstar pulled the channels not Dish.
They have me a $5 discount ! I’m paying $12 for my local channels . They said that’s all I can get
I’m not happy !!!!!!
Cynthia, I agree. I’ve had dish often on for years. With the black out now I think a lot of us want our TV at a discount if we’re going to continue with dishnetwork. I have had Comcast, and I have had DIRECTV. Honestly I do not know what satellite company I would go with next. I might just do away with the satellite and just go apps (Netflix, for sure, and maybe Hulu), with my smart TV.
I am going to watch the PAC 12 title game tonight on a TV connected to a little rectangular antenna that will capture the FOX network’s affiliate’s signal out of the air for FREE! No complaints here.
I added an antenna device I purchased from Amazon, prior to subscribing to Dish. It gets me the local channels, so I’m good. I don’t want to pay extra for the convenience of something that should be free.
There are five sides to this issue. 1. Dish 2. The stations/networks. 3. The programming/shows that are losing veiwers. 4. The advertisers. 5. The subscribers to dish. If they really want this over with then Number 3 and 4 have to get heavily involved. By programming/shows, one major group included in that mess is the NFL. Advertisers need to lower their advertising. Less veiwers, lower advertising rates.
This is bullcrap. I got dish back so I could see my nephew play football…and all i got is static…somebody need to make the first move.
Dish will give you an antenna free of charge that will pull in those lost channels. You can still record through your DVR. $5 seems fair as long as they do it every month till they come to an agreement.
I need a free antenna. How do I get one?
How do u go about getting the free antena? We have had dish for a lot of years and think they should charge us a lot less . Like new contacts.
The antenna does not wok in rural areas.
I live out in the country and the over the air antenna works great
Dish will give the antenna but it won’t work in lots of places.
Is it legal for Dish not to let me out of my contract?
This is idiocy. WGN America has been useless since they lost pro sports. Nextstar has over valued their properties and is holding viewers and local advertisers hostage. I’d like to be able to watch NCIS, SEC football and other CBS programs in Dish, but thanks to Nextstar’s greed I cannot.
Nextstar is supposedly asking Dish for one billion dollars to carry their programming. I can do without my local greedy tv station.
If they are gonna continue this BS they should compensate peoples Bill’s. I am losing all my sec games. They have you because you don’t want to go to swapping services. It’s a pain in the ass. Just charge the extra fee for the channels and quit messing with people’s lives. This year has been hard enough as it is.
Dish installed an OTA antenna 📡 and gave me a $10/mo discount for 6 months. I get the channels that were lost and can record them. I gave no complaint
The problem is the local market’s you have say fox network which is rebroadcast through several dozens cities in a state each city wants to be paid to give fox access instead of allowing dish to pay one fee for fox I as a customer want my network channels but don’t care about local networks
Just give me the master channels
If this kind of stuff doesn’t stop then when my contract is over I’m leaving. Dish is teaching their subscribers how to learn other ways to watch TV. So long Dish your going to fold eventually. You need to make a deal with them and take a pay cut
We need to go back to using antenna.😂😂😂😂😂
If dish would simply look at all the qvc, selling programs and all the ones that are dulipacte stations they could afford local channels. ABC is a much better channel. Bring it back. Get rid of the wasted air time for selling kick.
Shame on Dish one more time. I live in Grand Junction, Colorado and the community consists of many retired individuals. Dish took out the NFL playoffs last year and now we’ve lost CBS and Fox. There can be no excuse for doing this again. It is unconscionable that for individuals who have had so much taken away that Dish adds to the loss. Lousy timing.
I dealt with this garbage when I had DirecTV. I lost Weather Nation and got stuck with the weather channel. Then att clowns took over DirecTV and service went downhill quickly. So I lost a channel because of some greedy clowns need more money to line their pockets.
Blah blah blah.
These local channels are supposed to be FREE! How they feel entitled to keep charging more and more for something free is beyond me.
I think if it’s free on antennae it should be free on cable or satellite…now the station owners want MORE money so my bill rises for supposedly FREE stations…f you nextat..I bet my antennae makes you soo mad😛
Maybe the FCC needs to step into this reminding Nextstar that they are using public airwaves ad they should back down on the ransom demands. Radio and TV stations serve the public interest and can’t do that if their owner is holding a carrier hostage,
Dish put hole in my gas line during installation. Had to get out of the house. Paid plumber 1000. Sent bill to Dish. It happened in March 6, 2018. Dish still has not paid. My wall is still open.
I think this whole situation is appalling, especially for us elderly folks. First you take away our entertainment while we are forced to stay home, then keep charging us the same. Five dollars one time is NOT sufficient for months of blackout. We are going back to the old antenna.
Buy an Over the air adapter for your dish and put up an Antenna you can get your local channels for free and use the DVR function of the dish. Save the cost of local channels
I THINK NEXSTAR AND DISHNETWORK IS ACTING LIKE KIDS AND THEY DO NOT WANT TO REACH AN AGREEMENT
Hi, I am one who lost ABC channel with DISH so I need help! I have a Samsung Smart TV and I have tried downloading the ABC app to try to stream my ABC shows but it doesn’t work! It says something about no provider or something! I thought you could stream any of the available channels even if your tv provider doesn’t have that channel? Can you please help me with this problem? Thank you!!
Neither nextel will except emails or will not talk to calls from unhappy customers and all that does is make customers even more mad. It is so unreal that channels that are supposed to be free now has to cost millions of dollars. Looks like they want to line the pockets even more than they already are.
Dish tv said they are going to charge $5,00 more on my bill. But i cant see my channels. It the customer that suffer. While they lining their pockets
Nexstar is the perfect example of greedy monopoly! They need competition to keep them honest. Of course meanwhile, all of us suffer. They did this despicable hostage ploy with Direct TV, so they’re pros at this. Shame on them!
I completely support Dish in trying to keep our prices lower. I’m tired of these greedy free OTA channels like KTLA trying to increase our monthly cable bills. In the LA area the local channels can be viewed with an antenna or through a subscription with Locast for as little as a $5 monthly donation.