Dish, Sling TV pull two NFL shows over dispute

Bob
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Posted on: June 19, 2020 9:01 pm EDT

The NFL is trying to negotiate a fees deal that hasn’t met with a positive response from broadcasters

After failing to agree on new contract terms after the previous agreement expired, two (NFL shows were removed from Dish Network Corp. and its Sling TV online service. This means that subscribers to the second-largest satellite TV provider won’t have access to the NFL Network and NFL RedZone, according to an email statement released on Thursday. The service is still available in DirecTV, Comcast Xfinity and Charter Spectrum television services.

“NFL Media remains committed to negotiating an agreement and has offered terms consistent with those in place with other distributors,” said the NFL Network in the statement. This is not the first time the American’s TV’s biggest draw has been out of Dish. It had a dispute with Fox Corp., which blacked out NFL services temporarily last year. This is a major loss, though, as NFL games accounted for 47 of the most-watched 50 television shows during last year’s regular season; therefore, the league has been renegotiating the fees.

While Dish figures out its next move, the NFL is preparing to play this year’s season, despite the coronavirus pandemic, which is still hitting hard some states. The NFL stated that the league is working on instituting a rapid-result testing program as well as other protocols for players and the personnel working along based on the guidance of public health officials.

So far, the league doesn’t foresee any delays for the beginning of the preseason and regular season, which are set for August and September, respectively. That, despite the fact that top U.S. infectious disease specialist Dr. Anthony Fauci has been saying the pandemic may force the league to cancel the season.