Dish Subscribers Unable To Watch Penn State/Maryland After Network Drops FS1, BTN
Penn State fans who are Dish Networks subscribers are caught in the crossfire of yet another carriage dispute and will need to find another way to watch tomorrow night’s game against Maryland. Dish Network has dropped FOX, FS1/FS2, and the Big Ten Network as a result of its recent disputes with FOX.
The announcement came a little more than 24 hours before Penn State is set to play Maryland in a Friday night game on FS1. Among the other games Dish subscribers won’t be able to watch this weekend are Indiana vs. Michigan State and Rutgers vs. Michigan.
Last year, a similar dispute between Fox and Comcast was settled just days before the college football season started.
Although no announcements have made about what networks will feature the remaining Penn State games this season, this change could be a problem moving forward, given the strong ties between FOX and the Big Ten. Two of the Nittany Lions’ first three games this year have aired on a FOX-owned channel, while 21 of their last 43 games during the last four seasons have done so.
For the time being, subscribers can use an antenna to watch games that air on FOX’s flagship station, but not for those on subsidiaries like FS1 and BTN, so they’ll need to find a bar or friend to watch.
In statements obtained by Sports Business Journal reporter John Ourand, both sides took to blaming each other for the dispute, in hopes of triggering an uproar from their shared customers.
“Dish/Sling elected to drop Fox networks in an effort to coerce us to agree to outrageous demands,” FOX said in a statement. “While we regret this is DISH/Sling’s preferred approach to negotiating, we remind our loyal viewers that the Fox services are widely available through every other major television provider.”
“It’s clear that Fox cares more about padding its bottom line than serving its viewers,” Dish said in a statement. “To add insult to injury, Fox pulled its channels right as viewers head into the heart of the NFL and college football season. We ask Fox to stop punishing its own viewers so we can focus on reaching a fair deal.”
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