Local Dish Network Customers Complain Over Loss Of CNN, Other Channels

Local Dish Network customers have been reaching out to VI Consortium concerning the loss of some of their favorite channels from the satellite service’s roster and seeking answers as to why this has happened.

Dish Network customers lost access to CNN, Turner Classic Movies, and several other channels–seven in all–late Monday as a result of a contract dispute with Turner Broadcasting.

Turner Broadcasting, which licenses the channels for distribution to subscription services, pulled the plug on the channels upon the expiration of its current contract with the satellite service when the two companies could not reach a new agreement following lengthy negotiations. Other Turner channels removed from the Dish roster include Boomerang, Cartoon Network, CNN en Espanol, Headline News, and truTV.

One local customer, who contacted the VI Consortium, said he was displeased with the loss of CNN because “that is all I watch.” But what has angered him the most is the fact that he pays almost $60 per month, one of Dish’s costliest packages, and he said no one has reached out to him to say the channels would be off line.

“They made no contact,” he said. “They didn’t even send [me] an email — it was a friend of mine, who introduced me to Dish Network, that informed me [of the problem].”

Dish Network’s Facebook page has been inundated with messages from angry customers who want Turner Broadcasting channels back on the service, a sentiment Dish Network itself agrees with, and says it’s working hard to come to an agreement with is longtime partner.

“I certainly understand that, Sen. We have had a productive relationship with Turner for many years and are confident we can reach an agreement to restore these channels soon,” a company representative said on Facebook, responding to a customer’s query in the comments section.

The pulling of Turner Broadcasting channels from Dish Network isn’t only affecting the Virgin Islands, but the satellite service’s 14 million subscribers.

For more questions on the blackout, reach Dish Network by calling 1-855-318-0572 or send an email here.

The VI Consortium will continue to closely monitor this story.