Dish customers can no longer access CBS TV channels
Nearly 30 channels have been blacked out due to an ongoing feud about fees.
If you're looking forward to watching the NFL this Thanksgiving you might find yourself stuck watching holiday reruns instead, as CBS is making good on its threat to black out dozens of channels in response to its ongoing subscription feud with Dish. According to Dish, the network last night barred customer access to 28 local channels in 18 markets across 26 states.
The two sides have locked horns over the fees CBS wants from Dish for retransmission of its content. In a statement, CBS said it had been trying for months to reach an agreement with Dish, and added that "Dish is infamous within the media industry for its long history of disputes with content providers". Dish responded by claiming CBS is attempting to "tax" customers on programming that's losing viewers, and that it's "regrettable and unnecessary that CBS is bringing its greed into the homes of millions of families this Thanksgiving".
Much of CBS's local programming is available for free over-the-air (OTA), and Dish is offering its customers digital OTA antennas at no cost, so they can continue to access news, popular network shows and sports from CBS. But those that rely on their pay-TV package to get these stations will just have to sit tight until an agreement is reached -- and it seems unlikely that will happen any time soon.
