Subscribers to DISH Network haven’t been able to watch WBRZ-TV—or another Manship-family-owned TV station in Texas—for the past two weeks due to a dispute between the station and DISH.
DISH Network and the local ABC affiliate reached an impasse in negotiating a renewal of the agreement that provides for carriage of the station on DISH Network’s satellite system, according to a statement and FAQ posted on WBRZ-TV’s website.
As a result, the station stopped being available to DISH viewers on Sept. 7.
“We had granted DISH multiple extensions in the hopes of concluding a new deal with DISH, but little progress was made,” the post reads.
Such disagreements have become increasingly common in recent years, as broadcast stations, feeling their own revenue crunch, seek higher retransmission fees from cable and satellite operators.
Every three years WBRZ-TV and other over-the-air stations negotiate new broadcast terms with multichannel video distributors, including DIRECTTV, Eatel, Cox and AT&T U-verse.
In a news release, DISH says it is offering customers free over-the-air antennas on which viewers can catch WBRZ-TV’s broadcast.
“We will continue to negotiate with DISH,” the station writes. “However, this is a ‘David vs. Goliath’ undertaking.”
