CBS went dark Friday evening for customers of satellite television provider Dish Network after the companies failed to reach agreement over fees to carry the broadcast network’s programs.
The blackout hit millions of Dish subscribers in several major cities, including New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago. Those viewers will be deprived of top prime-time shows such as “The Big Bang Theory” and “NCIS.” The blackout did not affect the CBS Sports cable channel and Showtime, a subsidiary.
Dish has 14 million customers.
It was the latest business standoff between television broadcasters and their distribution partners. Major TV networks such as CBS, Viacom and NBC have demanded higher charges — known as retransmission consent fees — from cable and satellite providers. The broadcast networks see much of their future business growth coming from higher fees.
Retransmission fees are expected to nearly double by 2020 to $9.3 billion from $4.9 billion this year, according to the research firm SNL Kagan. Cable and satellite operators say higher fees have been pushed to consumers in the form of higher monthly bills.
CBS and Dish have been in negotiations for six months. CBS decided to pull its content because “Dish has dragged its feet at our many attempts to negotiate in good faith,” the company said in a statement.
Dish did not immediately respond to a request for comment
