Q: What is the debate between Fox Sports South and the Dish Network? Why can’t the station show Braves games on weekends?
—Alan Mears, Powder Springs
A: The dispute between Fox Sports South and Dish Network, which is in its third year, stems from the cost Fox Sports South is charging cable and satellite carriers to show weekend Braves games.
Fox Sports South, in February 2013, bought the rights to 47 games that originally were scheduled to air on Peachtree TV.
To cover those costs, the network asked for more money from carriers. Dish Network hasn’t agreed to the terms, which has kept its subscribers from seeing most weekend Braves games since the beginning of the 2013 season.
That’s about 50 games a year.
“Our situation with Dish Network remains as it was during the 2014 MLB season,” Fox Sports South told Q&A on the News in a statement. “As you will recall from last season, Dish remains as the only video provider that is choosing not to distribute the full schedule of Braves games on Fox Sports South.”
Dish Network’s statement: “Fox Sports is asking Dish to pay a significant local surcharge for Braves fans in Atlanta. Dish is open to a fair deal to deliver these Braves games to our Atlanta customers, but this surcharge does not allow us to uphold the Dish promise to deliver the best content at the best value.”
Fox Sports South will broadcast 12 more Friday, Saturday or Sunday Braves games this season, beginning with this weekend’s series at Chicago.
Andy Johnston with Fast Copy News Service wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
About the Author
