DISH & Disney Reach Short-Term Deal as Talks Continue

ENGLEWOOD/BURBANK: DISH and The Walt Disney Company have reached a short-term extension for the continued carriage of such networks as ESPN and Disney Channel, avoiding a potential blackout for now.

The agreement is for ESPN; Disney Channel; ABC-owned stations in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Houston, Raleigh-Durham and Fresno; and other networks from The Walt Disney Company. Details of the extension weren’t disclosed.

The original pact was set to expire Monday night. DISH is one of the nation's largest pay-TV providers, with more than 14 million subscribers. The company has expressed concern about rising programming costs, particularly for sports content from channels such as ESPN.