Ad-Skipping Feature Doesn’t Hold Up Retrans Deal
Dish Network and Gannett Broadcasting managed to hammer out a retransmission-consent deal last week, despite the satellite-TV giant’s contention that the broadcaster was trying to squelch its controversial Auto Hop ad-skipping technology.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The agreement, reached a few hours after the formal midnight Oct. 7 deadline passed (both sides agreed to a brief extension as talks continued) kept Gannett stations in 19 markets, including Washington, D.C.; Atlanta; Denver; and Phoenix, Ariz., on Dish Network’s service.