Dish Reaches Carriage Agreement With Tegna, Ends Blackout

Dish Network reached a multiyear carriage agreement with Tegna in 38 markets, said both sides in news releases (see here and here) Sunday. The agreement ended a blackout that began Friday, it said. “All TEGNA stations will return to the DISH lineup effective immediately.” Dish said at the start of the blackout that Tegna was seeking “above-market rate increases double the current DISH rate.” Before the blackout ended, Dish said the breakdown in negotiations is an example of why retransmission consent reform is needed. “TEGNA’s decision to cut ties with DISH customers is a prime example of why Washington needs to stand up for consumers and end local channel blackouts,” Dish General Counsel Stanton Dodge said in an earlier release.