Fox Regional Sports Networks Block DISH and Sling TV Customers

[Scott Greczkowski]

Fox Regional Sports Networks Block DISH and Sling TV Customers

• Fox Regional Sports Networks remove 16 sports channels from DISH and Sling customers
• Fox RSNs demand higher rates for customers whether they get the channels or not
• Fox RSNs reject DISH offer of a short-term extension

ENGLEWOOD, Colo., July 26, 2019 – DISH today reported that Fox Regional Sports Networks, currently owned by The Walt Disney Company, blocked DISH and Sling TV customers’ access to 16 regional sports networks.


The Fox RSNs, currently pending an announced sale to Sinclair Broadcast Group, and YES Network, which is reportedly being sold to a group of investors, are demanding unreasonable rates and attempting to make DISH customers pay for the channels, whether they get them or not.


“The regional sports TV business model is broken,” said Andy LeCuyer, DISH senior vice president of Programming. “It relies on the majority of customers subsidizing the slim minority who actually watch these channels. RSNs should be like a ticket to the ballpark – fans who want to watch the game should be the ones who pay for it.”


Like many regional sports networks, Fox RSNs are seeking payment from almost all DISH customers in their regions, even those who choose a programming package that does not include these channels.


“Sports programming is the most expensive content on TV. Networks pay the sports teams huge amounts of money, then try to recoup it from a broad base of consumers,” said LeCuyer. “It’s time to change the status quo.”


DISH Offer of Extension, True Up Rejected


DISH was hopeful that it would reach a mutual agreement to renew carriage of the Fox Regional Sports Networks. In that spirit, DISH offered a short-term contract extension that would have included a retroactive rate adjustment and would have preserved the ability of DISH customers to access the Fox RSNs while negotiations continued. The rate adjustment would have ensured that the Fox RSNs were made whole at the new rates for the period of any contract extension.


“Fox RSNs had nothing to lose and consumers had everything to gain by leaving these channels up,” said LeCuyer. “Instead, the RSNs chose to harm their own viewers.”


Fox Regional Sports Networks removed the following channels from the DISH lineup:

• Fox Sports Arizona
• Fox Sports Cincinnati
• Fox Sports Detroit
• Fox Sports Florida
• Fox Sports Midwest
• Fox Sports North
• Fox Sports Ohio
• Fox Sports Prime Ticket
• Fox Sports San Diego
• Fox Sports South
• Fox Sports Southeast
• Fox Sports Southwest
• Fox Sports SportsTime Ohio
• Fox Sports Sun
• Fox Sports West
• YES Network (Sling TV only)

DISH customers can visit DISHPromise.com for more information.

 

[ncted]

Seems like there are a lot of disputes recently. Not sure if things are coming to a head or just coincidence, but it is getting a lot of attention either way.

 

[comfortably_numb]

Losing all the Fox RSN's is a big deal. At what point do people say "enough is enough?"

 

[ncted]

Losing all the Fox RSN's is a big deal. At what point do people say "enough is enough?"

Enough is enough. I am not going to pay for Fox RSNs any more. What a waste of money.

 

[comfortably_numb]

There's nothing on FSM I need except baseball, and I get that through my single-team MLB.tv sub.

 

[Cheddar_Head]

It seems like the RSNs want to be like ESPN and NBCSN where they get a cut from every subscriber whether or not they want these channels. As much as I love sports it is about time that the burden of paying for these channels be the responsibility of those that actually want the channels.

 

[SamCdbs]

Actually, the opposite. DISH wanted to move the RSNs to a higher tier, while Fox (Sinclair actucally, I suppose) wanted them to remain as is.

The broader question to me is that the sports media journals are saying this is probably permanent. What then is exactly DISH's business plan? Who, exactly is the customer it is shooting for?

 

[comfortably_numb]

Who, exactly is the customer it is shooting for?

Somebody who likes QVC in HD?

 

[dweber]

I lost the ability to view my two favorite baseball teams. Cleveland Indians were on Fox Sports Ohio and Cincinnati Reds were on Fox Sports Cincinnati. Since I own Amazon Prime I tried to subscribe to MLB.TV since the first 30 days is free. Unfortunately, I received the message that the Cleveland Indians at Kansas City Royals is unavailable due to MLB.TV Blackout Restrictions. I don’t understand why it would be blacked out for me in Plain City, Ohio since the game is in Kansas City.
I called Dish to ask about any other alternative to view the game. She suggested ESPN. She did give me 2 free months of Showtime to compensate for the loss of Fox Sports Ohio and Fox Sports Cincinnati. I don’t blame Dish since Disney is trying to extort larger fees.


Sent from my iPhone using SatelliteGuys

 

[comfortably_numb]

I don’t understand why it would be blacked out for me in Plain City, Ohio since the game is in Kansas City

With MLB.tv, games are blacked out in the team's home territory. It doesn't matter where the home team is playing.

MLB.TV Out-of-Market Packages

Scroll to the bottom and enter your zip code.

 

[Rolling Joe]

Actually, the opposite. DISH wanted to move the RSNs to a higher tier, while Fox (Sinclair actucally, I suppose) wanted them to remain as is.

The broader question to me is that the sports media journals are saying this is probably permanent. What then is exactly DISH's business plan? Who, exactly is the customer it is shooting for?

It wouldn't surprise me if FSN/Sinclair wants money from every subscriber in each of the markets; all of them Flex, Welcome Pack etc. included.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Actually, the opposite. DISH wanted to move the RSNs to a higher tier, while Fox (Sinclair actucally, I suppose) wanted them to remain as is.

Where did you see this?

 

[zippyfrog]

Where did you see this?

Fox-Branded RSNs Pulled From Dish Network, Sling TV

"The issue comes down to price and flexibility -- Dish wanted the ability to put some of the RSNs on premium tiers. When the RSNs signed an affiliate deal with Charter in June, its execs believed it had developed a template for future deals with distributors like Dish."

 

[dweber]

With MLB.tv, games are blacked out in the team's home territory. It doesn't matter where the home team is playing.

So MLB.TV is basically useless since it doesn’t allow you to watch your local teams. I put in my zip and it said Cleveland Indians, Cincinnati Reds, and Pittsburgh Pirates were considered local and would be blacked out. Why would anyone subscribe to a service that doesn’t allow you to watch your local teams. That makes no sense to me.


Sent from my iPhone using SatelliteGuys

 

[comfortably_numb]

Why would anyone subscribe to a service that doesn’t allow you to watch your local teams

To get out of market teams. In my case, I live in Kansas City but I'm a Cardinals fan. I can watch St Louis games here with MLB.tv

They WANT you to use your local RSN to watch in-market games.

That's what makes a dispute like this particularly troublesome.

Have you considered Youtube TV?

 

[Cheddar_Head]

So MLB.TV is basically useless since it doesn’t allow you to watch your local teams. I put in my zip and it said Cleveland Indians, Cincinnati Reds, and Pittsburgh Pirates were considered local and would be blacked out. Why would anyone subscribe to a service that doesn’t allow you to watch your local teams. That makes no sense to me.


Sent from my iPhone using SatelliteGuys

MLB.TV is useful in a couple of cases:
1) You are just a baseball junkie, this describes me.
2) Like many people in the USA you no longer live anywhere near where you grew up and developed your sports team loyalties. Since most cable systems only have the local team RSN you can't watch your favorite team as often as you would like. MLB.TV allows you to watch the team you grew up watching. This also describes me as I grew up in Wisconsin when the Pilots AKA Brewers were not a thing and so I am a Cubs fan living in Colorado. When the Cubs or Brewers play the Rockies I am blacked out from those games.

Yes, in your case the local RSNs have contracts to carry the local team so contractually MLB.TV is required to black out the games. There are shady ways to get around this but I won't go into them here.

 

[Brodieb]

These disputes and blackouts are becoming a real issue for Dish. I don't know if I will be staying with Dish when my contract is up if we are going to keep losing channels left and right. I understand Dish is not the one at fault in these issues, but at some point enough is enough.

 

[PortlandChris]

If you are in the team's territory then you will be blacked out. They want you to subscribe to the channel locally.

I lost the ability to view my two favorite baseball teams. Cleveland Indians were on Fox Sports Ohio and Cincinnati Reds were on Fox Sports Cincinnati. Since I own Amazon Prime I tried to subscribe to MLB.TV since the first 30 days is free. Unfortunately, I received the message that the Cleveland Indians at Kansas City Royals is unavailable due to MLB.TV Blackout Restrictions. I don’t understand why it would be blacked out for me in Plain City, Ohio since the game is in Kansas City.
I called Dish to ask about any other alternative to view the game. She suggested ESPN. She did give me 2 free months of Showtime to compensate for the loss of Fox Sports Ohio and Fox Sports Cincinnati. I don’t blame Dish since Disney is trying to extort larger fees.


Sent from my iPhone using SatelliteGuys

 

[PortlandChris]

It is a real issue for everybody. Directv is in the midst of its own issues as are various cable companies.

Cable generally pays it, and increases your rate, and disguises it as a fee of some kind.

You want to pay more?

These disputes and blackouts are becoming a real issue for Dish. I don't know if I will be staying with Dish when my contract is up if we are going to keep losing channels left and right. I understand Dish is not the one at fault in these issues, but at some point enough is enough.

 

[Neutron]

Between stuff like this and Directv’s issue with channels like CBS I am so glad we stream our TV. Never once have I seen an issue with PlayStation Vue.