Statement From DISH Regarding Dispute With Gannett Broadcasting

ENGLEWOOD, CO--(Marketwire - Oct 5, 2012) - DISH Network Corporation (NASDAQ: DISH) issued the following statements attributable to Dave Shull, DISH senior vice president of Programming:
"DISH has been unable to reach an agreement with Gannett Broadcasting because Gannett has made it clear in documented proposals that it wants DISH to pay a significant penalty for allowing our customers access to AutoHop, a commercial-skipping technology available on our Hopper Whole-Home DVR. Consumers have had the right to skip commercials since the advent of the remote control. We are simply providing consumers with the choice to watch what they want, when they want.

"We have agreed to pay a significant increase in fees to continue to carry Gannett's local stations, more than 200 percent, the same as our closest direct competitor. But Gannett wants money on top of that for the expressed reason that our customers have access to AutoHop. We will continue to take a stand for customer choice and control.
"On this issue, we are standing shoulder to shoulder with viewers. We invite Gannett to join us."

Links