November 25: We don’t have new news to report, but please know we continue to urge FOX RSNs to work with us to come to a logical, long-term deal.
We appreciate your patience throughout this negotiation. We understand it’s frustrating missing the games you love, especially as NHL and NBA seasons begin.
November 11: We love sports fans, but the deal Sinclair has proposed makes no sense for the vast majority of our customers. Sinclair is asking us to pay for a majority of subscribers – in the high double-digit percentages – when fewer than ten percent of our total customers in these markets actually watch the FOX Regional Sports Networks. It’s an outdated model that no longer works for consumers.
We are fighting to keep your TV bill as low as possible. The largest cost for DISH is the amount we pay to programmers who own the content you enjoy watching. To keep our commitment in providing the best value, we are done being bullied into unfair programming deals that do not make sense for our customers. We are no longer going to support this broken business model, and are standing up on behalf of our customers.
Regional Sports relies on the majority of customers to pay costs for channels they may not even watch. Regional Sports should be like a ticket to the ballpark – with fans wanting to watch the game being those who pay for it. It is not fair for you to have to burden the unnecessary additional costs that only pad the profit margins of programmers such as FOX Regional Sports Networks. Right now, costs for TV sports rights in America are the worst deal going and the only winners are the sports broadcasters, like FOX Regional Sports Networks.
They know watching live sports is important to our viewers and they are holding their channels hostage as a negotiation tactic to force TV providers, like DISH, to cave to their demands. Switching is not the answer – as contract negotiations are not unheard of. For too long, FOX Regional Sports Networks has employed this tactic of putting you, the customer, in the middle.
We urge FOX Regional Sports Networks to work with us to reach a logical, long-term agreement for all.