Fox and Dish Network take negotiations into late innings

Fox and satellite service Dish Network were closing in on a midnight Thursday deadline to strike a new agreement that would keep FX, National Geographic Channel and a host of regional sports networks on the air.  As of Thursday evening, the two sides were still chipping away on a new contract and it was unclear whether News Corp.'s Fox would pull its channels from the programming packages of Dish's more than 14 million customers.

The Fox broadcast network is not included in the current tussle, although it will become the centerpiece of a separate dispute between the two companies over a contract set to expire Oct. 31. Not coincidentally, that date falls during Major League Baseball's World Series, which Fox televises.

For now, the stakes are lower. The Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angeles Angels are scheduled to finish their seasons this weekend with games broadcast by the Fox regional sports channels, Prime Ticket and Fox Sports West.  Dish subscribers would miss out if Fox pulls the channels.  Dish subscribers would also have to skip "The Dog Whisperer" on Friday on the National Geographic Channel, and "Sons of Anarchy" on Tuesday on FX, if the dispute dragged into next week.  

Contentious contract negotiations have become a trend in the television industry as programmers struggle to hike fees to try to cover the rising costs of programming. 

Cable and satellite television providers are trying to hang tough to mollify their customers, who are tired of ever-rising cable bills and now have other pay TV options. 

Already this year, Walt Disney Co. pulled its programming from New York cable giant Cablevision for several hours on the day the Academy Awards were broadcast, and the Hallmark Channel has been off AT&T U-Verse for nearly a month.

Fox and  Cablevision also are headed for an Oct. 15 showdown -- which could cause plenty of angst for fans of the playoff-bound New York Yankees.  If no agreement is reached, Cablevision would lose the right to carry the Fox broadcast network as well as two tiny channels, National Geographic Wild and the Fox Business Network.

The Fox News Channel is not part of either of these disputes.

-- Meg James

Photo by Jay L. Clendenin, Los Angeles Times

Comments

[mark]

I don't get it, I just can not believe Fox for asking for more money and it isnt just like 5% or anything its more like 55% that is ridiculous and as they broadcast non-famous shows other than Sons of Anarchy I rather just get use to watching other shows because I will definately not pay more money for television just because Fox wants to raise their price so discusted by greedy people and companies.

[Matt J.]

I don't know about you, but I am disgusted by the price gouging Fox is trying to get away with. The increase they are asking for is over 50%...which is unheard of! This is more than Fox wanting to cover the increased expense of programming, it's greed. They could care less about their customers...they want more money and are trying to pin the blame on DISH, the only thing standing between their money-grubbing hands and a customers satellite bill!

[Lynne]

I agree. FOX is holding out for more money and using customers to push Dish network into paying it. The advertising FOX is running on FX and NATGEO is aimed at getting customer to call and threaten Dish Netowrk with going elsewhere for their programming.

[mcfarland s]

I am sick of dish network they just raised my bill 2$ an now we lose FX dish is gonna lose me. Even though i have a year left on the contract. No FX No payment!!!

[Bill]

Just big businesses working out who gets how much of my money.

While I enjoy a few of the FX programs, Terriers Sunny and will wacth Sons, if I had to live without FOX it would not bother me in the least.

They have few good programs and provide seriously politically slanted matewrial that makes living without them fine by me.

[stephen]

Real your mad over 2 dollars come one before i came to dishnetwork i was with time warner and they raised my bill by over 25 dollars now i would argue over that but 2 damn dollars come one get a life stop bitchin over 2 damn dollars now for fox you are wrong for doing this to dish we the customers pay there bill to watch these show and we could easyly tell dish to just for get about you we dont need you but watch if we dont do anything i bet you will be begging at dish networks door ask us to give you a contract and ill bet you will agree to anything we want !!!!!!!

[heather]

the reason fox is doing this this time around is because they got a lock in deal with all the major sports 98% of hockey 95% of baseball and play offs of both they are trying to force people to pay more for these shows and its bs pulling the plug on customers who have already paid to watch these and to top it off strong arming the nhl and the baseball elite channels you have to pay for to blacking them out in local areas because of there dispute i am looking into suing fox and dish because i have paid for these services that i am now not able to enjoy but they are enjoying the money already paid to them

[Rick]

Either its free TV and or not. Either the commercials pay for the programming, or they don't. If F(au)x can't charge advertisers enough to cover their programming, then they should make FX or some of their other channels premium channels. Or make shows that cost less. What the hell did they need Nat Geo Wild for anyway?

People forget they also sell many of these shows as downloads and DVDs. They are robbing everyone. I like Sons and Terriers, but I would rather buy them than pay more per month for cable or satellite. What if AMC does the same for their great shows? The whole thing is going to blow...

I may start borrowing live sports off the web... plenty of free sites if you look.

[JJF]

Fox needs to to sized down others should drop them then they would come to the table with a OFFER that would not make my cable bill go though the roof, they want everyone to cut cost why not FOX

[Jennifer]

Fox Sucks! I watched "The Dog Whisperer" everyday and now I can't. If they are that greedy than I will find another to get the information I need about dogs.

[mo]

i love fox and dish, but i will stop watching fox and turn to netflix and other avenues to watch some of my fox shows. fox news needs to get their acts together, they need to sit and talk with networks that have been in existence longer than 10 years! fox is acting like their name, sneaky, get it together fox before you lose 14 MILLION viewers!

[Mark Allen]

As a consumer I want this resolved quickly, but I don't think Dish should cave in either. If they do, it will set a precedent for future negotiations for all providers.
I have to believe Fox sponsors have to be a little concerned too over losing potential market share. Let's hope that, with a little common sense thrown in, will get us past this.
In the meantime, I believe Fox like others, still shows replays of various programs on their websites. For series shows I can also wait to rent the DVD copies.
I know there is a knee-jerk reaction of some to jump ship to other providers.
But it is short-sighted thinking if they don't care what happens when their 'new' provider is facing similar negotiations. At the same time, I can totally understand with their frustration.

[Jake]

I am with DISH all the way on this one. A 50% increase in price at times like this? I can live with watching FX shows online.

[steve thomas]

come on people, pay attention to the news!this isnt dish this is rupert and his thugs trying to make us all pay for fox news loss of revenue from news shows like glen beckerhead. ask fox how much sponsorship has been lost in the last year alone!as for dish, you need to call that foreigner rupert murdocks bluff and dump all fox programming, i will still stay withya dish

[Curt in Texas]

I've lived through these "lockouts" before. The "negotiations" will drag on. Finally a "solution" will be reached. But the better part of a year will have gone by - and the customers' needs will have been ignored - and rates will STILL go up. Ultimately,CUSTOMERS suffer. And neither party cares!

So just get it done NOW and please spare us the rhetoric.

[Jim]

Dish should tell FOX can shove it. Their news is already a bunch of useless lies, now they are getting too greedy. I already have FOX news blocked, and I would not cry if the rest of their programming would go.

[kittie martin]

I switched from directv to the dish because directv did not have local chanels. If I lose fox on the dish I may as well switch to directv.