Fox accused Dish Network of dropping its channels yesterday “before the parties’ license agreement expired,” according to a letter a Fox lawyer sent a Dish exec yesterday. Channels, including Fox-owned broadcast stations, FS1, FS2, BTN, Fox Soccer Plus and Fox Deportes, went dark on Dish Network and Sling TV yesterday. In a letter sent to Sling TV Group President Warren Schlichting, Covington’s Mitchell Kamin, a Fox lawyer, wrote, “Fox never de-authorized its receivers for Dish and is continuing to transmit its signals to Dish. Indeed Dish is the party solely responsible for any ‘blackout’ of Fox’s channels -- a fact you acknowledged in your conversation earlier today with Fox executive Mike Biard.”
The letter called on Dish to retract its own comments pinning the blame for pulling the channels on Fox. Kamin’s letter: “Fox sent Dish a signed extension letter, which Dish did not countersign, that would have allowed Dish customers to retain access to Fox’s channels for another 24 hours while the parties continued to negotiate.”
