Fox and Dish End Blackout Before NFL Games Kick Off

Fox Corp. said it has reached a new carriage agreement with Dish, which ends a blackout that began Sept. 26 and will enable Dish and Sling TV subscribers to watch Sunday’s NFL games.

The dispute caused the unusual situation of Thursday Night Football being pulled from NFL Network on Oct. 3.

Fox's Thursday Night Football games are normally simulcast on NFL Network.

That meant that while subscribers to other distributors could watch the Rams-Seahawks game on Fox, they couldn’t on NFL Network. It was an extreme measure necessary to keep powerful NFL programming from Dish subscribers.

Financial terms of the new Fox deal with Dish were not disclosed.

The new pact covers retransmission for the Fox TV stations plus distribution of cable networks Fox News Channel, Fox Business Network, FS1, FS2, BTN and Fox Deportes.

“We are pleased to announce that we have reached an agreement with Dish and Sling, and they are immediately restoring their subscribers’ access to the Fox networks and television stations. We are grateful to our viewers for their patience during this disruption,” a Fox spokesman said. 

Similarly, Dish said in a statement: "We appreciate our customers' patience as we worked to reach a long-term agreement that restores the Fox networks and local broadcast stations."

On Friday, Fox Corp. said it signed a new long-term renewal of its distribution agreement with Cox Communications.

Financial terms of the Fox deal with Cox were not disclosed.

“This renewal extends the productive partnership we’ve long had with Cox and ensures that millions of our viewers across the country will continue to enjoy Fox’s leading sports, entertainment and news programming for years to come,” said Michael Biard, president of operations and distribution for Fox.

Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.