Dish Network And Turner Squabble, Channels Go Dark

Contract disputes are a common thing, and we've seen them span all varieties of companies: Amazon has had its share of battles this year, for example, and we've seen television watchers suffer as a result of soured negotiations. That latter issue has again arisen, this time affecting Dish Network subscribers who enjoy watching certain channels, CNN among them. It seems the satellite company is in a dispute with Turner over contractual issues, and as a result several channels — fairly notable and high-demand ones — have been pulled.

The information comes from CNN itself, which announced the dispute today as a way to let viewers know why they might not be seeing its channel today. The dance is a familiar one, with both companies pointing fingers at the other as the source of the problem. Turner has gone so far as to encourage Dish Network subscribers to contact Dish and raise a ruckus on its behalf.

Those who subscribe to Dish Network will still be seeing TBS and TNT because they're under a different contract, but will not be able to get TCM, Adult Swim, Boomerang, CNN, CNN en Espanol, Cartoon Network, or truTV as a result. The fallout of the dispute is said to have happened around 2AM, when the channels went dark.

Dish Network has a dedicated site up for subscribers to learn about the issue, saying, "Turner is making unreasonable financial demands, and they have refused to extend the overall agreement ... We have had a productive relationship with them for many years and are confident we can reach an agreement to restore these channels soon."

For its part, Turner says Dish Network is "operating in a disruptive manner," according to CNN. A source surfaced as well, saying that the debacle concerns digital distribution rights.

SOURCE: CNN Money