DISH Reaches Long Term Agreement with DISNEY / ESPN / ABC
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Disney would like to see the Hopper go away • 6:45 AM
Negotiations between Dish Network (DISH) and Disney (DIS) on a new carriage contract are tripping up over Dish's AutoHop feature, according to sources.
Several media companies have taken Dish to court over the ad-skipping technology to little avail.
Negotiations between Dish Network (DISH) and Disney (DIS) on a new carriage contract are tripping up over Dish's AutoHop feature, according to sources.
Several media companies have taken Dish to court over the ad-skipping technology to little avail.
The only channel affected by the auto skip feature would be ABC channel. Espn,Abc Family and Disney channels don't have auto skip ....YET! But I am sure that Charlie is using the auto skip feature as a way to get the price down on carriage rates for Disney and or Abc channels.
Dish-Disney Deal Hung Up On The Hopper?
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (October 2, 2013) - This is an update on our earlier coverage of the fee fight between Dish and the Disney-owned ESPN. See earlier articles below.
The carriage standoff between Dish and Disney could be over the satcaster's ad-skipping Hopper HD DVR, which Disney's ABC has attempted to terminate in court, reports Bloomberg News.
The two companies on Monday night announced that they have agreed to a short-term extension in their carriage talks, at least temporarily avoiding a blackout of ESPN, Disney-owned ABC affiliates in eight cities and the Disney channels on ESPN's airwaves.
But Bloomberg writes that a new programming agreement could be in jeopardy because of the Hopper, and Disney's insistence that Dish carry two new Disney channels, Fusion and the SEC Network.
The Hopper could be the most difficult obstacle to overcome. The set-top can automatically skip commercials during recorded network prime time programs. The networks, including ABC, say the HD DVR violates their copyrights because it removes the commercials without their permission. Dish maintains that the Hopper is just a better version of the traditional HD DVR because it skips the ads without the viewer needing to pick up a remote to perform the same task.
Thus far, Dish has successfully blocked the networks' legal efforts to stop subscribers from using the Hopper, but the lawsuits are still pending.
Bloomberg says the two companies have given themselves an extra day or two to work out a solution, but a longer negotiation is also possible.
Dish could use the Hopper as leverage to force Disney to accept lower fees to carry its channels, including ESPN and the ABC-owned affiliates, which are in eight large markets. For example, in return for agreeing to dismantle the Hopper so subscribers couldn't use its ad-skipping feature when ABC is on, Dish might be permitted to pay less to carry the Disney suite of channels.
TVPredictions.com has written in the past that Dish Chairman Charlie Ergen views the Hopper as a possible weapon in carriage talks and would gladly dump it if it meant paying less to carry certain channels.
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (October 2, 2013) - This is an update on our earlier coverage of the fee fight between Dish and the Disney-owned ESPN. See earlier articles below.
The carriage standoff between Dish and Disney could be over the satcaster's ad-skipping Hopper HD DVR, which Disney's ABC has attempted to terminate in court, reports Bloomberg News.
The two companies on Monday night announced that they have agreed to a short-term extension in their carriage talks, at least temporarily avoiding a blackout of ESPN, Disney-owned ABC affiliates in eight cities and the Disney channels on ESPN's airwaves.
But Bloomberg writes that a new programming agreement could be in jeopardy because of the Hopper, and Disney's insistence that Dish carry two new Disney channels, Fusion and the SEC Network.
The Hopper could be the most difficult obstacle to overcome. The set-top can automatically skip commercials during recorded network prime time programs. The networks, including ABC, say the HD DVR violates their copyrights because it removes the commercials without their permission. Dish maintains that the Hopper is just a better version of the traditional HD DVR because it skips the ads without the viewer needing to pick up a remote to perform the same task.
Thus far, Dish has successfully blocked the networks' legal efforts to stop subscribers from using the Hopper, but the lawsuits are still pending.
Bloomberg says the two companies have given themselves an extra day or two to work out a solution, but a longer negotiation is also possible.
Dish could use the Hopper as leverage to force Disney to accept lower fees to carry its channels, including ESPN and the ABC-owned affiliates, which are in eight large markets. For example, in return for agreeing to dismantle the Hopper so subscribers couldn't use its ad-skipping feature when ABC is on, Dish might be permitted to pay less to carry the Disney suite of channels.
TVPredictions.com has written in the past that Dish Chairman Charlie Ergen views the Hopper as a possible weapon in carriage talks and would gladly dump it if it meant paying less to carry certain channels.
I doubt he is using it to get the price down. Most likely Disney simply inserted language in the contract barring any ad skipping technology and Dish may be trying to negotiate some sort of skipping allowed.
The media companies view what Dish is doing as a violation of their existing contracts. They obviously (or they would have barred it) thought they had it covered with language that probably required complete delivery of the programming without cuts. Since the hopper does not alter the programming in any way with their skipping, it gets around the language of the current contracts as shown by the courts not issuing injunctions before trial. A trial will eventually determine if Dish did violate the copyright in some way or another, but for now it looks like ad skipping via the method being used by Dish is not violating the current contract.
I bet every channel's lawyers have been working overtime to put in language to prevent any automatic or provider assisted ad skipping in their contracts. I predict this was a one time loophole used by Dish that will be closed in all contract renewals.
But, this does not preclude a deal where someone pays extra for a channel to compensate for ad skipping if the provider feels they could attract more customers by offering this premium service. Perhaps Dish will use some of the monthly Hopper fee to buy this premium service for their customers.
Why do we still post Swanni articles here?? All he does is copy other's work (Bloomberg, in this case), and add stuff that's just flat out wrong:
Dish will dump the Hopper?? Really??
Dish will dump the Hopper?? Really??
Doesn't know the difference between the Hopper and Autohop.
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I don't see Dish backing down on Autohop. And for those of you that don't like it or don't use it, I don't understand unless you just don't watch network TV. The autohop is awesome and I hate that it isn't on every program!
Its just speculation that the Hopper is the hold up, it could well just be the carriage of additional channels is all that they are haggling over. If it was over auto hop, I think the channels would be down already.
I wonder if Disney negotiated everything with Dish then at the last minute delivered the autohop killing terms?
Why do we still post Swanni articles here?? All he does is copy other's work (Bloomberg, in this case), and add stuff that's just flat out wrong:
Dish will dump the Hopper?? Really??
Same fool who Guaranteed a Dish and Directv merger more than once. Embarrassing.........
auto hop or not..........no one watches the commercials
with the dvr, everyone just uses the skip ahead or the fast forward button.........are the programmers going to argue over that too
with the dvr, everyone just uses the skip ahead or the fast forward button.........are the programmers going to argue over that too
Just makes it easier and faster to skip commercials so you don't even have to push anything to skip them.auto hop or not..........no one watches the commercials
with the dvr, everyone just uses the skip ahead or the fast forward button.........are the programmers going to argue over that too
I have a solution.
Let's make autohop ala carte. If Dish intends to keep Autohop, they're going to have to start paying the networks more. In turn it will make our bill higher.
Why should I be changed for a feature I don't even use? Make it optional. The people who want it can pay for it.
Let's make autohop ala carte. If Dish intends to keep Autohop, they're going to have to start paying the networks more. In turn it will make our bill higher.
Why should I be changed for a feature I don't even use? Make it optional. The people who want it can pay for it.
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