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Fox says Dish deal unlikely to come soon
As the stalemate between Dish Network LLC and Fox Sports enters its fourth weekend, Fox is telling satellite TV subscribers that no end is in sight.
Nineteen regional sports networks, including Fox Sports Southwest in the Dallas area, as well as FX and the National Geographic Channel, went dark for Dish subscribers on Oct. 1 after the contract with Dish to carry the channels expired with no new agreement in place.
Fox said in a statement that the 440,000 Dallas-area Dish subscribers probably won't be getting their channels back anytime soon.
In addition to college football and Dallas Stars hockey games, Dish subscribers are likely to miss Wednesday's regular season opener for the Dallas Mavericks, Fox said.
Fox also is warning that its contract with Dish to carry network affiliate KDFW-TV (Channel 4) expires at the end of October.
In addition to NFL football games and shows like House and American Idol , Fox 4 also will broadcast the World Series.
The first three games will be played before the deadline, but game 4 airs the evening of Oct. 31, which means the final innings could be blacked out if the game runs late. The final three games, if needed, also could be blacked out.
These increasingly frequent clashes between broadcasters and pay TV providers are starting to attract the attention of lawmakers and regulators.
Cable provider Cablevision – which does not serve any customers in the Dallas area – and Fox, which is owned by News Corp., are also embroiled in a dispute over carriage fees for Fox's network stations. The channels have been blacked out for nearly a week for millions of Cablevision customers.
FCC media bureau chief William Lake on Friday sent a letter to both companies reminding them they "have a statutory duty to engage in 'good faith' negotiations."
Lake also asked both companies to submit any evidence the other side is not negotiating in good faith.
Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., chairman of the Senate commerce communications subcommittee, recently sent the FCC a letter with proposed language for a bill that would give the agency a formal role as a mediator in disputes between broadcasters and providers.
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