Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Audio / Video
  3. News

Dish blacks out channels again; this time it’s Fox

Christine Persaud
By

fox dish blackout dark channels network 3 x 2 650 640x0
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Dish Network subscribers continue to experience intentional outages while the provider undergoes contracts negotiations. But this time, now with Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network, it’s a debate as to who’s actually doing the blocking, according to The Associated Press via Syracuse.com.

Dish is not taking blame for the channel outage, stating that it’s actually 21st Century Fox that’s blocking access. But Fox says that isn’t true, and Dish shut down its server just before the contract ended.

Recommended Videos

Dish says Fox has been discussing other channels in the negotiations that have nothing to do with the current contract at hand. Senior Vice President of Programming Warren Schlichting likens the situation to a realtor trying to close you on a house by attempting to sell you a car as well. He accuses Fox of blocking the channels in order to try and triple its pricing for sports and entertainment channels. But Fox News Executive Vice President of Distribution told the AP that the deal it’s offering Dish is similar to what other cable providers pay. Fair is fair, after all, and times are changing.

Related: Dish subscribers get their Turner back as CNN, TCM, and others come back online

Tis the season, apparently, for renegotiating those contracts. Earlier this month, CBS pulled the plug on some Dish customers over contract disputes, following a similar back and forth with Turner Broadcasting that saw the temporary loss of channels like CNN, Turner Classic Movies, Cartoon Network, and others.

The season has been full of threats, bluffs, and even the use of popular shows like The Walking Dead as bargaining chips. When Dish removed AMC from its lineup back in 2012, fans actually took to the streets in zombie walks to protest the move and the possibility of missing out on their favourite guilty pleasure. Fox News isn’t putting on quite the same show, though it is taking a pretty bold move – asking its viewers via e-mail and Twitter to switch to another TV provider.

Whatever the case may be, subscribers of Dish are likely beginning to lose patience as the satellite provider seems to be willing to use its 14 million or so customers as leverage. Previous black outs haven’t lasted long, but how much is too much? For now, those looking to get their Fox news fix over the holiday break will no doubt be relieved once yet another key negotiation period is over.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Christine Persaud
Christine Persaud
Contributor
Christine has decades of experience in trade and consumer journalism. While she started her career writing exclusively about…
Tidal vs. Qobuz: Which hi-res music streaming service is for you?
Tidal app showing on iPhone 15 Pro.

Spotify and Apple Music may be the most popular music streaming services in the world, but services like Tidal and Qobuz offer plenty of great features and a higher level of listening to anyone making a switch. Each offers hi-res audio and is available on desktop and mobile devices. Thanks to a recent switch in Tidal subscriptions, the prices between the two services are now very comparable, although one is slightly cheaper.

Below, we compare Tidal and Qobuz based on price, sound quality, and supported devices to determine which platform is better.
Price
For many years, Tidal has stood out for its hi-res music offerings, a feature long shared with Qobuz. However, the landscape has changed, and now other services like Apple Music and Amazon Music (and soon Spotify, hopefully) have also ventured into the hi-res music space.

Read more
OTC hearing aid sale discounts 15 models, from just $80
Bose SoundControl Hearing Aids

If you need a hearing aid, you’re going to love the OTC hearing aid sale going on at Crutchfield right now. Currently, you can buy a pair for as little as just $80 with up to $500 to be saved on select models. With 15 models in the sale, we recommend you click the button below to see what’s on sale for yourself. But you can also read on while we highlight some of our favorite hearing aid deals. Don’t delay as the deals are unlikely to stick around for long.

What to shop for in the Crutchfield hearing aid sale
With some of the best OTC hearing aids including models from Lexie, go straight for the . It’s currently $799 instead of $849. It has a slim, visually discreet profile with a behind-the-ear fit style. A built-in feedback management system helps reduce high-pitched feedback while there’s a noise reduction circuit which decreases the volume of constant background sounds such as vacuum cleaners or A/C units. It also has level-dependent gain and compression which keeps loud noises from becoming too loud during conversations. The app also provides bass and treble controls along with left/right balance adjustments, and directional focus modes. It’s a really well-rounded hearing aid.

Read more
GoldenEar subwoofers are up to $755 off for a limited time
The GoldenEar SuperSub XXL subwoofer in the living room.

Upgrading your home theater setup's sound output is easily achieved by buying from soundbar deals, but if you want extra bass, you'll want to purchase a subwoofer. If you're thinking about it, you may want to checkout Crutchfield's sale on GoldenEar subwoofers with prices that start at $595. These premium subwoofers will give you all the bass that you need for watching streaming shows, epic movies, sports programs, and any other form of content, but you'll have to hurry with your decision on what to buy because these discounts are only available for a limited time.

What to buy in Crutchfield's GoldenEar subwoofers sale
The cheapest option in Crutchfield's GoldenEar subwoofers sale is still pretty powerful -- the GoldenEar ForceField 3, which is an 8-inch subwoofer with digital signal processing and a built-in 500-watt RMS digital amplifier. You'll also get a front-firing 8-inch long-throw woofer and a 9-inch by 11-inch down-firing passive radiator for , for savings of $55 on its original price of $650. You can also take a step up with the GoldenEar ForceField 30, which offers most of the same features but with an updated design with a curved top and metal grills, for instead of $900 following a $155 discount, or the GoldenEar ForceField 40 with a front-firing 10-inch long-throw woofer and an 11-inch by 13-inch down-firing passive radiator for a , down by $205 from $1,200 originally.

Read more