CBS Says Dish Network Pulled A Fast One, Hid Auto Hop During Negotiations

Dish Network's Auto Hop feature has been the target of more than a few legal proceedings, with networks crying foul over its commercial-deleting abilities. Now, admist the controversy already surrounding the device, is a claim by CBS that Dish Network intentionally concealed Auto Hop during negotiations, something it is none to happy about. According to the network, not providing the information completely altered the resulting deal.

As a result of the alleged impropriety on Dish's part, CBS is trying to get permission to file counterclaims of fraud in regards to the Auto Hop omission. In recompense, CBS wants to either have Dish pay up damages that resulted from the revenue loss resulting from the deal, or to have the deal between them nixed.

According to CBS, advertisement revenue was specifically one of the perks it would receive under a retransmission agreement between the two companies. This all resulted when it was revealed that Dish had planned to roll out its device with Auto Hop when it was in negotiations with CBS, making the lack of communication on its part a deliberate concealment.

This comes after a ruling back on November 7 that Dish's Primetime and Auto Hop wouldn't be blocked, something Fox was actively pursuing. Earlier in the year, NBC's chairman was vocal in his opposition to the feature, calling it an attack on the television ecosystem. The company would then go on to sue Dish, along with Fox and NBC, over the feature.

[via The Verge]