ENGLEWOOD, Colo., June 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- In an
effort to drastically raise rates amid declining viewership, today
Univision Communications Inc. blocked DishLATINO and DISH customers
from accessing three of its channels: Univision and UniMás
(including local affiliates), and Galavisión. Univision has also
blocked Sling customers from accessing all of its channels on the
service.
Despite ratings for these channels decreasing by approximately
30 percent over the past five years among DISH customers, Univision
is demanding rate increases of roughly 75 percent. In fact, ratings
for its flagship Univision channel have declined nearly 40 percent
since 2012.
"Univision's attempted price hikes target Hispanics despite the
fact that fewer members of our community are watching Univision,"
said Alfredo Rodríguez Diaz-Marta, Vice President of DishLATINO and
Sling Latino.
Downward ratings trends are expected to continue. Univision
failed to secure rights for the current World Cup, as well as the
World Cup in 2022 and 2026, losing out to one of its competitors in
domestic Hispanic programming.
"We have served the Hispanic community for nearly 20 years, and
as the leading provider of TV packages in English and Spanish, we
owe it to our customers to deliver the best content at the best
value," said Rodríguez Diaz-Marta. "For example, in the spirit of
our 'sigamos haciéndola' campaign, we will soon be the first to
launch a new, commercial-free channel wholly dedicated to teaching
English as a second language to learners of all levels. This
channel will be available to DishLATINO and Sling Latino customers
at no additional cost."
Univision has a history of resorting to blackouts to gain
leverage in negotiations. In the last two years, they have blacked
out millions of viewers, including customers of AT&T, Charter
and Verizon (in a takedown lasting over a month).
In many markets, Univision is available for free, over the air,
with an antenna. To help ensure customers don't lose access to
Univision shows as discussions continue, DISH, DishLATINO and Sling
TV are making antennas available for free to customers in eligible
areas. DISH and DishLATINO customers seeking more information can
visit dishpromise.com or dishlatino.com/promesa. Sling customers
can visit help.sling.com or ayuda.sling.com.
Univision also sells its top two networks direct to consumers
through a streaming product called Univision Now. That product is
available for $7.99 per month, yet
the programmer is asking DishLATINO and Sling Latino subscribers to
pay almost double for the same content.
To ensure customers have additional Spanish-language
entertainment options during this time, DishLATINO is making news
and entertainment channels available at no extra cost. These
options include Multimedios (now available on channels 271, 272,
830 and 831), Mexicanal (now available on channels 273 and 833),
and additional free movies on channel 828. Sling TV is providing
customers who have the the Best of Spanish TV service or Best of
Spanish TV Extra a free preview of the Mexico Regional Service.
"Given current events impacting the Hispanic community, we call
on Univision to return its signal to DISH, DishLATINO and Sling TV
customers as soon as possible. This is not the time to be making
outrageous demands to make up for bad business decisions, or, as
many have suggested, better position themselves for a sale," said
Rodríguez Diaz-Marta.
DISH and DishLATINO customers seeking more information can visit
dishpromise.com or dishlatino.com/promesa. Sling customers can
visit help.sling.com or ayuda.sling.com. The list of affected local
markets is available here.
About DISH Network L.L.C.
Since 1980, DISH has worked
on behalf of consumers to deliver innovation and value. Through its
subsidiaries, the company provides television entertainment and
award-winning technology to millions of customers. DISH Network
L.L.C. is a wholly owned subsidiary of DISH Network Corporation
(NASDAQ: DISH), a Fortune 250 company. Visit www.dish.com.
About DishLATINO
DishLATINO is the market-leading
suite of English and Spanish language programming packages in
the United States. It offers its
customers 40 Spanish-language news, entertainment, and sports
channels in combination with DISH's broad English-language
programming lineup of more than 200 channels. DishLATINO customers
can receive the Hopper, the industry's most awarded DVR, and take
advantage of in-language customer service as well as payment
solutions including a no-term contract, prepaid pay-TV option.
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SOURCE DISH Network Corporation