RobotPoweredHome is reader-supported. When you buy through links on my blog, I may earn an affiliate commission. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
I’ve heard that DISH gets into agreements with broadcasters to get channels on the satellite TV service, which helped me understand why some of the channels I was already paying for went missing.
I wanted to know what channels DISH could lose in the months to come, so I went to the internet to do some research on channel contract disputes.
I checked out DISH’s policy on missing channels and found quite a few news articles discussing DISH’s previous and potential shutdowns in the future.
After several hours of research and reading through news articles and forum posts about the DISH Network, I learned much about DISH and its agreements with TV channels.
This article was created with the help of this research and should help you figure out what channels DISH might be dropping next and why DISH might have dropped them.
DISH has dropped quite a few channels due to unresolved contract issues. These are primarily regional sports channels and some local channels like Bally Sports, and the local affiliates of NBC, CBS, and ABC.
Keep reading to find out what channels DISH has dropped and why this has happened.
Why Is DISH Dropping Channels
DISH gets into agreements with channels so that those channels can be broadcast on the satellite TV service, and these contracts or agreements need to be renewed after a set period of time.
This allows channels to get a bigger slice of the revenue pie from DISH TV subscribers and incentivize them to continue the agreement for longer.
When each contract expires, DISH and the channel’s representatives sit down to discuss terms on a new deal which may or may not ask for more money from DISH to keep the channel on the TV service.
DISH might have a different idea about the situation and might not think it’s worth the price the channel is asking for.
This, among many other reasons, can cause a breakdown in talks, which might take months to resolve.
If talks take several months to materialize, chances are that the current deal will expire, and DISH will lose the rights to broadcast the channel on their TV service.
Nine out of ten contract disputes will be why you may have lost the channel you were looking for.
In cases like this, DISH has no choice but to drop the channel until they sign a new agreement with the channel as a compromise on revenue sharing.
Sometimes it might be the channel networks that are playing hardball, and sometimes it can be DISH, but the only thing you can do is to wait out until the contract is re-signed.
Popular Channels Being Dropped
Most of the popular channels that DISH has dropped currently are local, and most of those are your local sports channels that show college or regional sporting events.
The channels that are currently dropped by DISH are:
- 21 Bally Sports and other Sinclair-owned sports channels.
- 3 AT&T Regional Sports Channels
- 3 NBC Regional Sports Channels
- MASN
- NESN
These are just some of the channels being dropped, and they’ll only come back later when DISH and the channel come to an agreement.
When Will They Come Back?
DISH says these channels will come back soon, but at the end of the day, the channel and DISH need to come to an agreement so that the channel comes back to the service.
This can take a few weeks or up to several months, and the only worthwhile thing you can do is to wait until the issues are resolved.
You can send e-mails to the channel and DISH and ask them to speed up the process and join a public petition to bring the channel back to DISH.
DISH and the disputing channels also have a social media presence, so go to their pages and ask them to speed up the talks and get the channels back on your TV.
Unfortunately, this is about the limit of what you can do to get your channels back, so be patient until they do.
Should I Change TV Providers?
DISH is adamant about not paying a premium to channel networks because they do not want to pass on the cost to the customer.
Their channel packages are cheaper than what most TV providers ask for, which was a result of driving a hard bargain when negotiating with channel networks.
If the dropped channel is why you watch TV, then changing TV providers makes sense, but in all other cases, you won’t need to change over.
The lower costs of DISH’s channel packages make the wait worthwhile, and most channels will be back in a few weeks anyway.
The only cable or satellite TV alternatives left for you are more expensive than what DISH offers, so if you decide to change over, be prepared to pay more for the same channels.
Streaming TV
A new way to watch TV is currently seeing a lot of growth, which is streaming TV instead of cable, satellite, or other traditional methods.
This lets you watch TV without a set-top box on any device that has the app of the service you’ve signed up for.
While the selection of channels is slim compared to regular TV, you aren’t bound to a contract and can terminate services when your favorite channels are no longer on the service.
You can watch TV on your phones and your smart TV, and these services will have most of the local channels in your area.
I would recommend trying out either YouTube TV or Hulu Live TV first; take a look at what channels they offer and go for one which has the channels you need.
Sling TV is another alternative, and all of these services are a lot cheaper than cable or satellite TV.
These services will cost you anywhere from $35 to $70, depending on the service and what channel plan you’ve selected.
Final Thoughts
You might also lose some channels because either DISH or the channel itself has run into technical issues and needs to be dropped temporarily.
Channel blackouts like this are usually fixed within hours, so try waiting for a few to see what happens.
You can get in touch with DISH to see what’s up and to know when a fix will go up.
Technical issues like these are rare, but they can happen and bring down channels for hours.
You May Also Enjoy Reading
- What Channel is NBC on Dish Network? We did the research
- What Channel is DOGTV on Dish Network? Complete Guide
- Is The NFL Network On DISH?: We Answer Your Questions
- Is OAN On DISH?: Complete Guide
- What Channel is CBS on Dish Network? We Did The Research
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Dish losing local channels?
DISH might lose local channels occasionally because they drive a hard bargain at channel contract negotiations.
This is to prevent the high costs of the contract from being passed on to its customers.
Is DISH going to get NBC back?
Some of the areas that DISH currently serves have NBC Sports back, like in Denver.
If you still cannot get the channel in your area, they still haven’t resolved their contract disputes.
Are Tegna and DISH still negotiating?
In February 2022, Tegna and DISH reached a multi-year agreement to get Tegna channels on DISH.
This means all the channels under Tegna are now back on DISH like before.
Is ABC available on DISH?
ABC is on DISH at the moment, including their local channels.
You’ll find them at different channel numbers depending on where you live.
