A carriage dispute occurs during a negotiation between a distributor (cable, satellite or streaming provider) and a programmer (local broadcast station owner and/or owner-operator of cable channels). The dispute triggers when the distributor and the programmer are unable to reach an agreement for carriage of channels on a pay TV system, likely after a programmer requests an increase in fees.
Customers of the distributor platform are left without one or more channels during the dispute. Carriage disputes are usually resolved when a distributor agrees to terms that a programmer sets; customers typically see the outcome of these agreements reflected on their monthly or annual bills.
In rare cases, a prolonged carriage dispute is the subject of litigation, after one company accuses the other of legal wrongdoing. Occasionally, a legal complaint is filed prior to the start of a carriage dispute, while a retransmission consent agreement is in place but clos to expiring.
Tribune Media has pulled several stations from Charter Communications-owned Spectrum TV following a temporary reprieve during negotiations over retransmission rights.
Tribune is warning that many stations, including KTLA, PIX 11 and CW Portland, could be pulled from Spectrum TV after negotiations with Charter have not yielded a new contract.
FOX News’ holiday ratings were down, but a closer examination show this to be the norm, not an effect of the Dish Network dispute.
The ongoing spat between Dish Network and the FOX News Channel is proving to be a benefit to at least one news startup.
Dish Network has dropped the FOX News suite of channels, including FOX Business, amid a carriage dispute with FOX Entertainment Group.
Dish Network customers are without CNN, HLN, the Cartoon Network and a handful of other Turner-owned channels after the two companies failed to renew a retransmission agreement this week.
Dish Network, the second-largest satellite television provider in the United States, could lose ESPN and other Disney-operated cable channels at the start of October.
CBS and Time Warner Cable have ended a month-long carriage dispute that saw the removal of several CBS local and cable channels from Time Warner’s systems.
CBS confirms it is blocking Time Warner Cable internet customers from accessing streaming video on its website as the two companies work through a carriage dispute.
