It’s only been two and a half years, but we’ve finally seen TV giant, Dish, and WarnerMedia hash out their differences over HBO. Here’s what our resident entertainment lawyer, Brandon Blake, has to say about the issue.
We’ve finally seen a joint statement issued that HBO will return to Dish, bringing HBO Max with it. This new carriage deal sees an end to a bitter dispute that has been raging since November 2018. And, in addition to the HBO and Cinemax linear channels, the company can now sell HBO Max for its subscribers, too. In fact, a discounted $12 launch offer will be in place to entice new subscribers to bite.
What sparked the debate, however? AT&T, the parent to Dish’s competitor, DirecTV, acquired WarnerMedia, leading to accusations that they were using HBO as a ‘weapon’ against Dish. Refutations, of course, were fast to come. The carriage dispute pulled headline attention at the time, mainly due to the accusations against AT&T, but it’s hardly the first time we’ve seen Dish play hard and mean with their programmers. Yet this one blew up in their face. Alongside the loss of Spanish-language icon Univision at roughly the same time, subscribers fled Dish en masse over the quarters that followed.
Despite some bravado at the time, implying that they didn’t need HBO and saw it as a loss-leader, it’s clear it was in Dish’s best interests to settle the dispute. Especially with a multi-billion dollar deal covering 5G and mobile network services signed with AT&T just last month. While there’s no official tie between the two deals, it’s hard not to imagine that it had some bearing on the recent settlement.
Whatever the reasons, Dish customers will now be able to re-access HBO through their subscription, as well as enjoy the additional access to HBO Max offerings.
Film and Television 