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Dish Network pulls CNN, Cartoon Network, other Turner channels

The logo of Dish Network.
The logo of Dish Network.

Dish Network subscribers are without some of the country’s most-notable television channels, including CNN and the Cartoon Network, after negotiations between the satellite company and Turner Broadcasting broke down this week.

Turner’s contract with Dish lapsed on Tuesday, and the two sides have been unable to forge an agreement extending the satellite company’s ability to carry the channels, Dish said in a statement on Tuesday.

“Dish has had a productive relationship with Turner Networks for many years,” Dish executive Warren Schlichting said in a statement. “We regret the service disruption to our customers, and remain committed to reaching an agreement that promptly returns this content to Dish’s programming lineup.”

Turner disputes the notion that it was unwilling to extend a retransmission agreement with Dish. “Turner has worked diligently for months to come to a fair agreement including multiple extensions and compromises,” the company said in a statement. “It’s unfortunate that Dish is once again operating in a disruptive manner that takes away networks and programming from their customers.”

Affected channels include CNN, HLN, TruTV, the Cartoon Network, Boomerang, Turner Classic Movies and a Spanish variant of CNN. Two other Turner channels, TBS and TNT, appeared to be unaffected by the carriage dispute.

Both companies say they look forward to negotiating a deal in the near future.

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About the Author:

Matthew Keys

Matthew Keys is an award-winning journalist with more than 10 years of experience covering the business of television and radio broadcasting, streaming services and the overall media industry. In addition to his work as publisher of The Desk, Matthew contributes regularly to StreamTV Insider and KnowTechie, and has worked for several well-known news organizations, including Thomson Reuters, McNaughton Newspapers, Grasswire, Comstock's magazine, KTXL-TV and KGO-TV. Matthew is a member of IRE, a trade organization for investigative reporters and editors, and is based in Northern California.

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