A twelve-hour blackout of CBS programs on Dish Network Corporation (NASDAQ:DISH) was all that was required for the two giants to find common ground, shake hands and enter into partnership which is likely to last for several years into the future. Spat between the two entities began about two years ago when CBS expressed its discontent with Dish’s AutoHop feature and warned that in the event of its being applied to CBS channels, it would have no option but to black-out its channels.
With leading executives of both companies, namely Les Moonves of CBS and Charlie Ergen of Dish Network Corporation (NASDAQ:DISH), refusing to budge from their respective stands, the situation had reached a deadlock and remained so till Friday when CBS owned stations discontinued transmission. As per CBS, the intention was to continue the pull-out till a decision had been reached. Sure enough, the ploy worked because Dish gave in to its demands and the new deal was announced on Saturday morning wherein viewers will have limited control over the controversial AutoHop feature.
President in-charge of Television Network Distribution for CBS, Ray Hopkins made the following declaration after the agreement between the two parties had been finalized –
“We are very pleased with this deal, which meets all of our economic and strategic objectives. We look forward to having DISH as a valued partner for many years to come.”
From Dish Network Corporation (NASDAQ:DISH), it was senior vice-president, Programming Division, Warren Schlichting, who confirmed when he said –
“We are pleased to continue delivering CBS programming to our customers, while expanding their digital access to Showtime content through Showtime Anytime.”
Sans this deal, Dish Network Corporation (NASDAQ:DISH) stood to lose out not only on viewers who are ardent followers of CBS programs but also those who are avid football enthusiasts. With NFL round the corner and college football kicking off on Saturday between Universities of Alabama and Missouri, this patch-up has been timely for both parties.
This article has been written by Vinita Basu.
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