Dish and Fox ink new deal

Dish and Fox ink new deal

Dish Network and News Corp.’s Fox has finally agreed on a new multiyear deal on Friday after almost a month of stalled negotiations over broadcasting fees. Financial details of the new contract were not disclosed by either company.

Fox pulled the plug on FX and National Geographic Channel from the Dish Network on October 1 because Dish did not want to pay higher fees as part of a new contract.

The two channels along with 19 regional Fox sports networks can now be watched again by an estimated 14.3 million Dish subscribers.

Dish agreed to pay higher fees to retain the airing of local Fox affiliates. News Corp. has demanded higher fees from major pay-TV operators during the last several months to boost its revenue.

The new contract also means that Fox stations, who will have their contracts expire on October 31, will also remain as part of Dish programming.

Popular shows such as “Glee”, “House”, and all World Series games are now sure to be available for Dish customers.

Many disgruntled Dish subscribers have cancelled their contracts as the feud went on, observers say.

Fox is currently battling another operator, Cablevision Systems, over similar rate hikes that its parent company News Corp. has demanded Dish. About 3 million households in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut saw their NFL and World Series telecasts disappear when Fox pulled out its channels.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski called for an immediate resolution of the problem in a statement.

“I urge Fox and Cablevision to complete their negotiations and end the impasse that has disrupted service to viewers,” Genachowski said.

Posted by Kade Quinn on Saturday October 30 2010, 5:18 AM EST. Ref: Los Angeles Times. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Entertainment, Featured News. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0