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CBS programming pulled from Dish Network due to contract dispute
A screenshot from CBS's KeepCBS.com telling viewers the CBS programs they wouldn't be able to watch on Dish Network after CBS pulled its programming in a contract dispute.
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CBS has pulled its programming from Dish Network as of 4 p.m. Pacific on Friday afternoon as part of a contract dispute. This is after an additional 24 hours of negotiations following a Thursday contract deadline, according to the Los Angeles Times, following six months of negotiations, according to a statement.
"Effective today at 7 p.m. Eastern Time, CBS programming is no longer available to Dish subscribers in New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento, Dallas, Denver, Boston, Chicago, Pittsburgh and several other markets," CBS said in the statement. "Behavior like this is why Dish has a long history of depriving customers of the programing they have paid for. In the past year alone Dish has dropped more than 121 local stations as well as several cable networks including CNN, Cartoon Network and Comcast SportsNet New England, among others. Meanwhile, CBS has only been off the air one other time in its history."
CBS's local L.A. stations include both KCBS 2 and KCAL 9. Los Angeles is the largest market for Dish, according to the Times, with almost 500,000 subscribers. CBS also owns the Showtime premium networks.
CBS was calling for customers to ask Dish for a rebate and to post about the dispute on social media, promoting the dispute on KeepCBS.com. They pointed out the range of popular shows on the nation's highest-rated television network, with hit programming including "The Big Bang Theory," "NCIS" and NFL football.
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CBS continued to blame Dish for the dispute in an FAQ. They also encouraged viewers to look into options to switch providers.
In its statement, CBS said that it was seeking "appropriate compensation for the most-watched television network with the most popular content in the world, as well as terms that reflect the developing digital marketplace." CBS and Time Warner Cable engaged in a dispute last year, leading to a blackout.
KPCC could not immediately reach Dish Network representatives.
This story has been updated.
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