Sinclair Broadcast Group and Dish Network temporarily resolved their dispute this week.
According to USA TODAY, the satellite company’s 3 million subscribers were about to lose their local Sinclair station, but the two sides temporarily agreed to extend their deal. Around 100 TV stations were at risk of being pulled by Dish if an agreement wasn’t finalized by Monday.
“We have agreed to a short-term extension with DISH to continue conversations,” senior vice president and general counsel for Sinclair Broadcast Group David Gibber said in a statement to USA TODAY. “We will continue to update our viewers as this develops. Sinclair stands willing to continue to negotiate in good faith and to enter into a longer extension to allow for the continued carriage of our channels to DISH’s subscribers.”
RSNs such as the Bally Sports networks haven’t been carried by the satellite provider since 2019. The two sides had been lobbing blame at one another in the lead up to this extension.
Last week, Dish accused Sinclair of “trying to use its market power to demand an unreasonable fee increase, using millions of Americans as pawns in its negotiations,” in a news release.
Sinclair came right back with their release, stating Dish “has a demonstrated track record of dropping local and national programming that viewers value.”
The timing in these disputes is crucial as the lead-up to football season begins — which broadcast companies hope leverage negotiations in their favor. Football is king in the United States, especially the NFL. 22 of the 25 highest-rated TV events of the past year were NFL games.
Access to local TV is still imperative for fans that want to watch their hometown without navigating blackouts. The powers that be know this all too well. We’ll see how this particular negotiation develops as the NFL kicks off their 2022 season in early September.