Dish, Fox reach long-term agreement, restores signal

Viewers receive Fox 32 and My 50 via Dish again in time for Sunday’s Bears game

After a little over a week of being knocked off the air, Dish and Fox Corporation announced Sunday morning the two companies came to a long-term carriage agreement, restoring Fox, FS1, FS2, Big Ten Network, and Fox Deportes to the satellite service.

The impasse also took 27 Fox-owned stations off the air, including WFLD (Fox 32) and WPWR (My 50) in the Chicago area, in addition to outlets in New York and Los Angeles, among other big markets.

Fox had been off Dish since September 26, depraving viewers of Thursday Night Football, the season premiere of SmackDown Friday night, and Saturday’s college football games and baseball playoffs, not to mention the Chicago Wolves’ season opener carried on My 50. In an odd twist, the NFL Network declined to carry Thursday’s Rams-Seahawks game simulcast on Fox because of the dispute, even though the Thursday Night Football contract states both Fox and NFL Network carry the game.

The dispute ended just in time for Sunday’s Bears game as they took on the Oakland Raiders from London.

Earlier, Fox and Cox Communications came to a long-term carriage agreement. Cox basically serves areas such as Arizona, where Fox owns affiliate KSAZ and My Network TV affiliate KUTP.

Dish is still embroiled in disputes with several carriers including NBC Sports Chicago, Sinclair’s Fox Sports regional sports networks, and Colorado’s Altitude, who also went dark on DirecTV and Comcast leaving nearly the entire state without the channel. Dish – and other cable and satellite providers also has yet to strike any deal with the Cubs’ new Marquee Network.

Meanwhile, DirecTV is still negotiating with Sinclair Broadcasting over carriage as warnings once again popped up for viewers, indicting those talks may not be going very well.

Until the next blackout…