[1] Dish Network's Hopper digital video recorder, announced in January 2012, led to controversy over a feature, called "AutoHop", which allows viewers to watch some programming without commercials, subject to time restrictions.
When activated, the feature records but hides commercials, giving viewers the option of viewing primetime programming on the four major networks commercial-free.
A Forrester Research analyst said the move demonstrated Dish's desperation to keep customers at a time when alternative programming is readily available via the Internet.
[5][6][7] On June 27, 2012, Dish Chairman Charlie Ergen told the United States House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology that the feature would enable parents to protect their children from alcohol and fast food advertising.
[8] The next day, Michael Petricone of the Consumer Electronics Association spoke to the subcommittee, likening Hopper to earlier time shifting devices.
CEO Joe Clayton said that Dish was "saddened that CNET's staff is being denied its editorial independence because of CBS' heavy-handed tactics.
[12][13][14] In March 2009 the Federal Trade Commission charged Dish Network and two of its dealers with multiple violations of the FTC's Telemarketing Sales Rule and the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991.
The company settled the lawsuit, paid $5 million, and promised to disclose all terms prior to signing contracts with potential customers.
2 satellite company "made demands that are designed to be impossible to meet in order to take our negotiations public and likely force our programming off the air."
[40] For two weeks ending October 6, 2019, Dish Network also had to remove Fox owned local channels due to an expired retransmission consent agreement.
Had there been no agreement made by October 31 at midnight (all time zones[clarification needed]), Belo would have pulled these channels from Dish Network.
On December 15, 2011, Dish Network pulled WWTV and WFQX, stations in the Northern Michigan television market owned by Heritage Broadcasting, citing "an outrageous fee increase".
[51] However, Dish states that the lawsuit is unrelated to the decision to remove the AMC Networks channels and that it ended the carriage agreement on its own terms.
Though retransmission consent compensation is an issue with the dispute, Gannett also demands that the satellite provider discontinue the AutoHop commercial-skipping feature on its digital video recorders.
[62] Narrowly averting a blackout, Gannett Company reached a long-term carriage agreement with Dish Network for all 23 of its television stations to remain on the satellite provider.
DISH continues to provide a variety of WWE programming, including 'WWE Raw' on USA, 'WWE Smackdown' on Syfy, 'WWE Main Event' on Ion and 'WWE Total Divas" on E!.
Dish Network claimed it didn't want to pay a "significant" local surcharge, however, all others major providers (AT&T U-verse, Xfinity, DirecTV, and Charter) agreed to FSS's terms.
[67] On April 8, 2014, at 10 pm EDT, Hearst Television forced Dish Network to remove its 29 stations off of the provider because they failed to reach a Retransmission consent agreement.
[68] In March 2017, Dish Network again had to remove Hearst Television owned channels due to an expired retransmission consent agreement.
The DMA issues are moving a number of counties in Maine to another CBS station instead of WABI which currently broadcasts now it likely would use WGME the Portland area affiliate if the new contract was to be approved.
[77] On April 22, 2015, Ultimate Fighting Championship announced that Dish Network will not carry further pay-per-view events from the mixed martial arts promoter, starting with UFC 186,[78] citing contractual issues.
[79] On August 25, 2015, Dish Network dropped 129 stations in 79 markets owned and/or operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group, in what has been called the largest single blackout in pay-TV history.
[82] This affected 9 markets where the Red River Showdown was airing Saturday October 10 on ABC affiliates, including WFAA in Dallas, KVUE in Austin, KIII in Corpus Christi and KBMT in Beaumont.
No terms have been disclosed, but it was noted that the NFL games scheduled to air that day on TEGNA's Fox, CBS and NBC affiliates helped the urgency of negotiations.
[84] This affected 7 markets where the 70th Annual Tony Awards were airing on CBS affiliates (including WHNT-TV in Huntsville, AL; KFSM-TV in Fort Amith, AR; WTTV in Bloomington, IN; and 5 others) that same evening an hour after the previous retransmission contract ended.
This also impacts major market CW affiliates KDAF in Dallas, KIAH in Houston, WPIX in New York City, KTLA in Los Angeles, and Tribune's flagship WGN-TV in Chicago (which switched to being an independent station on September 1).
[95] On November 7, 2012, the United States District Court for the Central District of California denied Fox's motion for preliminary injunction for the reasons mainly because (1) PTAT and AutoHop did not infringe copyright and did not breach the contract; and (2) while QA copies constituted a copyright infringement and breached the contract, the harm from the copies was not irreparable but was compensable with money.
[97] On June 3, 2009, satellite service provider EchoStar was found by Marshall, Texas, federal district court judge David Folsom to be in contempt of a permanent injunction against using some of TiVo's technology and was required to pay the DVR pioneer $103.1 million plus interest.
One of the judges involved said that the conduct of DISH's lawyers didn't "even meet law-school student behavior," and "presented the saddest day I have seen in my many years in court.
[100] In 2012, the investment analysis and commentary site 24/7 Wall St. named Dish Network #1 among "America's Worst Companies To Work For,"[101][102] an assessment based upon employee reviews at the employment website Glassdoor.