Dish Network and Sinclair Broadcast Group agreed a cease fire late Wednesday, with Dish announcing that Sinclair local channels would be immediately restored to the 79 U.S. markets were they went dark on Tuesday night.
The move followed a 129-station blackout, affecting 36 states, which prompted FCC chairman Tom Wheeler to call for an “emergency meeting” between both parties on Wednesday afternoon.
“We are grateful for the FCC’s work on behalf of consumers to actively broker a productive path forward,” said Dish svp and deputy general counsel Jeff Blum.
Terms of the agreement were not disclosed, but a Dish release said that it will “form the basis of a long-term retransmission consent agreement for carriage of Sinclair’s local channels in 79 markets nationwide.”
Dish is also asking that the FCC stay action on Dish’s Verified Amended and Restated Retransmission Complaint and Request for Preliminary Injunctive Relief as a long-term agreement is finalized.
