More than 800,000 subscribers from 26 local stations in the US remain in the dark

WICHITA FALLS, TEXAS, January 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — On Friday night 6th January^th26 Mission Broadcasting local TV stations in 25 markets The United States were forced out of the DISH Network distribution system when Mission’s contract with DISH expired. As a result of DISH’s action, more than 800,000 DISH subscribers will be unable to view the national and local community programming provided by these stations, including programming from Mission’s 7 ABC affiliates, as well as major NFL games on Mission’s 2 CBS, 11 FOX, and 3 ABC stations. This timing is particularly troubling for subscribers because these CBS, FOX, and NBC networks will broadcast all NFL games through the end of the season, as well as the NFL playoffs culminating with the Super Bowl on FOX February 12th^th.

“We are extremely disappointed with the unwillingness of the DISH network to reach an agreement,” he said Dennis Thatcher, President of Mission Broadcasting Inc. “We simply strive for the same fair dealings that we have with other cable, satellite and telecom providers for the high quality programming we provide. We produce thousands of hours of local news and programming. We pay millions of dollars to our network partners for entertainment programs and live sports. The costs of these things have understandably increased significantly – especially for live sports rights – and these costs are passed on to us, the broadcaster owners. DISH has won over 800,000 of its subscribers the middle by denying them programs they have already paid for, rather than negotiating based on current market conditions. Mission has a long track record of fair negotiations and avoiding service disruptions in our markets, and we don’t want viewers in our local markets to miss out on the vital local news, sports and weather reports we deliver daily. Our positive…