CBS has accused Dish Network of being unwilling to negotiate a fair deal as the retransmission consent agreement with the satellite company nears its expiration.
CBS on Sunday warned Dish subscribers they could lose CBS’s signal; the network aired the message during programming including 60 Minutes.
“For months we have tried to enter into an agreement with Dish,” CBS said in a statement. "Now, as the deadline nears, Dish appears willing to drop the most-watched television network with the most-popular programming in its entire channel lineup.
The deadline for a blackout is 11:59 p.m. Mountain Time.
“If Dish drops CBS, its subscribers will be deprived of a full slate of CBS Sports’ NFL and SEC football coverage over the holiday weekend beginning on Thursday, Nov. 23 with the Thanksgiving Day game featuring the Los Angeles Chargers taking on the Dallas Cowboys; Sunday’s NFL Doubleheader; and SEC Football on Friday and Saturday,” CBS said.
The broadcaster also noted that because of carriage disputes Dish has had blackouts with about 400 stations since 2013.
“We are committed to providing premium content to our viewers and will continue to negotiate fair value for that content. Unless agreements are reached, however, our viewers should be prepared to lose CBS from their Dish systems,” CBS said.
