Dish Network said it has come to terms on a multi-year renewal of its broadcast retransmission licensing deal with Raycom, averting an additional blackout of 56 more network affiliates.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Through its station websites, Raycom informed its Dish-subscribing viewers that its local channels would be blacked out on the satellite service if a renewal wasn’t signed by 6 p.m. EST Thursday.
Dish and analysts who cover the company attribute many of the 281,000 customer losses in the second quarter to the pay-TV operators steady stream of retrans and carriage battles.
Dish is still locked in a protracted impasse with Tribune Media which involves 42 stations in 33 markets.
Tribune has started running commercials in affected markets like Indianapolis, letting Fox and CBS affiliate viewers know that NFL games on those channels will be blacked out on Dish come September if a new deal isn’t made.
Earlier this week, the satellite operator agreed to terms with the National Football League to restore cable channels the NFL Network and RedZone to its service. That carriage renewal deal included provisions to include the networks on Dish’s Sling TV IP-based service.
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