CNN, Cartoon Network, TruTV off Dish TV over carriage dispute
By Rodney Ho
October 22, 2014
Atlanta-based Turner Broadcasting has had a tough few weeks, with layoffs and cutbacks. Now several of its networks are off Dish Network, covering 14 million households. There is a dispute over how much Dish pays Turner for airing its programming, including digital distribution rights, according to a CNN Money story.
The channels affected: CNN, HLN, CNN en Espanol, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, truTV, TCM and Boomerang. Turner's most popular networks TNT and TBS are not affected because they are part of a separate deal. (That deal expires Dec. 5. Dish might drop them, too. Details here.)
This is only the second time CNN has been blacked out but the other one was a very minor dispute last year involved a half million households with a small carrier. This is by far the biggest disruption for the news network.
"It's unfortunate that Dish is once again operating in a disruptive manner that takes away networks and programming from their customers," Turner said in a statement. "We are hopeful our counterparts will return to the negotiating table, and we'll get a deal completed."
Dish, in a separate statement, said its offer "reflects an appropriate value for our customers."
Turner has been working to see higher per-subscriber fees where it can but some of its networks have not seen much growth of late to justify higher rates. Turner has a website savemyshows.com to encourage people to complain to Dish.
Earlier this year, the Weather Channel aggressively went after DirecTV for blacking it out but ultimately the two sides came to a deal after three months. The Weather Channel actually apologized for its approach and promised fewer reality shows in its lineup.
About the Author
Rodney Ho writes about entertainment for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution including TV, radio, film, comedy and all things in between. A native New Yorker, he has covered education at The Virginian-Pilot, small business for The Wall Street Journal and a host of beats at the AJC over 20-plus years. He loves tennis, pop culture & seeing live events.
