Ergen Leaves Little Hope for AMC Settlement

Says dropping AMC Networks will benefit Dish

By Mike Farrell, Multichannel News -- Broadcasting & Cable, 8/8/2012 3:28:37 PM

Dish Network chairman Charlie Ergen didn't offer much hope of a reconciliation with AMC Networks, telling analysts on a conference call this afternoon that although he may lose some customers for dropping the channel, most won't notice.

"Our customers are not looking at zombies in New York City," Ergen said on the call, referring to the AMC hit The Walking Dead. "They live on farms and ranches."

Dish dropped AMC Networks, including AMC, IFC, WeTV and Sundance Channel, on June 30 after it could not reach a carriage agreement with the networks. Ergen has long complained that AMC Networks is demanding too high a price for carriage and criticized the channels in the past for making its content available for free online.

AMC has countered that Dish dropped the networks in retaliation for a $2.5 billion lawsuit filed by the former Voom HD networks, now housed within AMC, for breach of contract. That trial is scheduled to begin in September.

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