Weather Channel Gets Dish Deal Done, Avoiding Drop
Multiyear Pact Encompasses Localized Weather Services
By Kent Gibbons and Todd Spangler -- Multichannel News, 5/24/2010 9:17:56 AM
After threatening to drop The Weather Channel, Dish Network agreed to a multiyear pact with the programmer that includes developing localized weather programming "designed specifically for satellite customers."
TWC will remain on Dish on channel 214 and will develop the localized programming on channel 213, the companies said. They reached their agreement late on Sunday evening.
The Weather Channel's localized service for Dish -- to debut sometime this summer -- will be based on Weatherscan, an all-weather, market-specific service launched in 2001 and available in 14 million households through deals with Comcast, Cox Communications, Charter Communications, Suddenlink Communications and other smaller operators.
Dish senior vice president of programming Dave Shull said in a statement: "Through this new partnership with The Weather Channel, Dish Network is giving our subscribers exactly what they've asked for and more. Not only are we developing a unique satellite service that provides localized weather 24/7, but also we'll soon deliver personalized weather reports via the Android mobile platform and the Web. This agreement recognizes the importance of cross-platform video delivery, ensuring that our subscribers will have the most detailed local weather information available at their fingertips anytime, anywhere."
Dish had claimed TWC was asking for an "unreasonable" carriage fee. The operator also cited TWC's provision of local weather forecasts for cable systems -- but not satellite broadcasters -- last Thursday as a factor in deciding to add a rival weather service called The Weather Cast and an intent to drop The Weather Channel at the expiration of its contract.
However, Dish did not drop the service last Friday, as it had threatened. Dish did not mention The Weather Cast in the joint release with The Weather Channel Monday, but the satellite operator had been carrying Weather Cast on channel 213 for the last few days.
Dish planned to stop carrying The Weather Cast on Monday. WeatherNation founder and CEO Paul Douglas declined to comment.
"Dish Network and their customers are extremely important to us, and maintaining and expanding our partnership is a high priority for our company," Mike Kelly, CEO of The Weather Channel, said in the Monday morning statement. "Dish Network will now be carrying two of our channels -- The Weather Channel and a customized 24-hour, all-local weather information network -- to provide even better service to their customers. We also look forward to working with Dish Network on other cross-platform and interactive initiatives, taking advantage of our leadership position in mobile and the Internet."
Losing Dish would have subtracted 14.3 million subscribers from TWC's base of 100 million.
The Weather Channel is owned by a consortium made up of NBC Universal and the private equity firms The Blackstone Group and Bain Capital, which acquired it from Landmark Communications in 2008. The network gets an average of 12 cents per month per sub, according to SNL Kagan.
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Many would have perferred The weather cast, if the deal and price does not increase. Then It means Dish Network and Charlie Ergen did there home work. DirecTV and big cable could care less about the price and pay it.
RV Owner gone republican - 5/26/2010 9:35:42 AM EDT -
I think it is a good idea that The Weather Channel will start running a WeatherScan-type service on Dish Network, since from what I have read, TWC does not have localized WeatherStar systems for any satellite customers; which they should really have especially so satellite customers can get severe weather warnings should something occur within their area. I also have a programming idea for The Weather Channel: I think TWC should air weather forecast programming 23 hours each day (subtract a half-hour for Saturday and Sundays), that way people who want to stop by the TWC channel to get their local weather or want to know what the weather will be like when they are about to travel around the country, etc., can get easier access to that info, especially since there are some people who may rely on TWC if they can't get weather info from the internet, an iPhone or iPad or a cell phone. Also, TWC should stop airing movies altogether, because they really do not belong on that channel especially since some aren't really weather-related in the first place. They currently air their weather-related entertainment programming ("Storm Stories", "Cantore Stories", etc.) for three hours Monday-Thursday, six hours on Fridays and 12 hours on weekends (yes, that is how much non-forecast programming airs on TWC); they should dramatically reduce it to just a single one-hour block seven nights a week (no repeat block) from, say 8-9 p.m. ET with a different program each night and an addiitional half-hour from 4-4:30 a.m. ET on Saturday and Sunday mornings as part of the Cable in the Classroom initiative, so educators can freely record the programs for use in school for their students (but no more than that). They should also move the weekend edition of "PM Edition" from late evening to the daytime and add a weekend edition of "Weather Center" in that slot, just like how it airs on weekdays and annex the 2-4 a.m. portion of "Weather Center" into something of a separate overnight forecast program; and also convert their half-hour weekend program "Sunrise Weather" and the 5-7 a.m. portion of "Weekend View" and into a travel-centric weekend edition of "First Outlook".
T. Hughes - 5/26/2010 9:22:06 AM EDT
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