TURNER BROADCASTING RESPONDS TO DISH COMMENTS
We are disappointed in the aggressive nature of the comments from Dish Network, particularly given the fact that Dish agreed to our rates and carriage proposals weeks ago. We were supportive of the Dish OTT effort and had found common ground on the major issues there. While there were clearly deal points to get done, they were not the type you would usually go dark over. So it is still unclear to us exactly what this dispute is about. We've been told our networks were taken down because we would not move an expiration date later in the year.
Other top 5 distributors have signed up for what Dish has walked away from. The value of the Turner news, entertainment, kids and young adult brands and content are reflected in the leadership positions they hold across the media landscape. That includes 5 of the top 30 cable networks. So we honestly have no idea what Dish was talking about yesterday.
We've had a long-term relationship with Dish that has been good for both of us. That's one of the reasons we agreed to multiple extensions during this negotiation process and have worked diligently to address their issues. We stayed at the table even after Dish removed our networks from their service and were hopeful we can get a deal done in the near future.
