Dish Network (NASDAQ: DISH) wants to charge ahead with a plan to launch its new OTT service without broadcast channels being offered to subscribers in the basic tier, keeping the base price at around $30.
Variety reported in early October that broadcasters were balking at the idea of consumers paying extra to get their channels, with only ABC signing on to the plan. But as several outlets reported this week, Dish finished making a wide-ranging renewal deal with CBS Corp. without resolving the issue.
As Reuters noted, Dish and CBS indicated there was a "path" to negotiate rights for streaming content, but did not elaborate.
NBCUniversal and Fox haven't agreed to the plan, either.
Dish Chairman Charlie Ergen has said the low-cost service is targeted to male millennials who are not currently paying for cable. He said the service would launch by the end of 2014, but that target date now seems questionable.
For more:
- read this Wall Street Journal story
- read this Reuters story
Related links:
Dish will charge extra for broadcast channels in new OTT package, report says
Dish's new deal with CBS prohibits use of AutoHop DVR feature
Dish renews CBS deal, but fails to get rights for OTT service