Tegna TV stations back on Dish Network ahead of Super Bowl after 4-month dispute

Tegna TV stations back on Dish Network ahead of Super Bowl after 4-month dispute

Satellite TV provider Dish has reached a deal to bring Tegna’s 64 stations back to its customers after a four-month dispute.

Ahead of the Super Bowl and as the Winter Olympic Games begin, the two companies announced the deal Friday. The dispute started in October.

“We’re pleased to have reached an agreement in time for the Winter Olympics and Super Bowl that benefits all parties, especially our customers,” Brian Neylon, group president, DISH TV, said in a statement. “I want to thank our customers for their patience and understanding as we worked through the negotiations.”

Local stations were immediately restored on DISH TV, the company said.

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Headquartered in Tysons Corner, Virginia, Tegna has 64 stations in 51 U.S. markets including Atlanta; Denver; Minneapolis; New Orleans; Washington; Buffalo, New York; and Knoxville, Tennessee.

Lynn Beall, executive vice president and chief operating officer, media operations, Tegna, said in a statement to USA TODAY that the new agreement restores “our valuable and important live local news, live local and national sports and highly popular network content to DISH TV subscribers.”

Dish previously said nearly 3 million customers in 53 markets – including ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC and other stations – were affected. The TV provider charged Tegna with “using customers as negotiation leverage, demanding a massive fee increase to nearly a billion dollars and holding viewers hostage during football season.”

Contributing: Mike Snider, USA TODAY

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