Dish and CBS reach deal after Thanksgiving NFL blackout

For some satellite subscribers, a standoff between Dish and CBS over a carriage agreement meant no traditional NFL on Thanksgiving, an unforgivable slight to some. But both companies have now reached a multi-year deal after a blackout on CBS programming to two million subscribers for almost three days. The new deal covers networks including CBS, CBS Sports Network, Pop, and the Smithsonian channel. Dish says the channels are currently being restored to its customers.

“We are grateful to our customers for their patience this holiday week as months of work has resulted in a deal that delivers CBS for years to come,” said Warren Schlichting, Dish’s executive vice president of marketing, programming, and media sales. The standoff reportedly occurred because CBS wanted Dish to bundle its modestly rated channels (Smithsonian, Pop, and CBS Sports Network) with the main CBS channel, something it was hesitant to do. Details about the deal, including financial terms weren't disclosed. The deal probably comes as too little too late, as evidenced by the barrage of angry tweets on Twitter.