The National Football League and Dish were unable to come to an agreement on a new distribution agreement and as of 9 p.m. ET on Thursday, the NFL Network and the RedZone channel went dark to Dish and Sling TV subscribers.
“While NFL Media remains committed to negotiating an agreement and has offered terms consistent with those in place with other distributors, Dish has not agreed,” the NFL said in a statement.
“Without a distribution agreement in place for NFL Network and NFL RedZone, Dish and Sling subscribers will miss out on daily shows Good Morning Football, NFL Total Access and NFL Now and a newly launched Player’s Choice series featuring classic games and long-form storytelling from the NFL Films archive,” the league said.
Dish subscribers have been losing access to expensive sports programming, including many regional sports networks. Some subscribers might not notice because the NBA, NHL and Major League Baseball have been unable to play because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The NFL is planning to start its season as usual in the fall despite the dangers posed by the coronavirus.
The NFL said that for the upcoming season NFL Network viewers are expected to be able to watch all 65 preseason games, including a record 23 live out-of-market games. Regular season action on NFL Network continues with a slate of exclusive games kicking off with a trio of matchups at the start of the NFL season in addition to two Saturday doubleheaders in weeks 15 and 16.
NFL RedZone takes fans from game to game to see the most exciting plays as they happen. With host Scott Hanson, fans can follow the best of live NFL action from across the country and every touchdown from every game Sunday afternoons.
