Dish, Turner row triggers blackout

Cartoon Network, CNN and TruTV have gone dark for some viewers in the US after parent Turner Broadcasting System (TBS) and satellite provider Dish failed to agree a new carriage deal.

Each side is blaming the other for the blackout, with Dish arguing that TBS removed the networks from its line-up, while the satcaster claims Turner “unilaterally decided” to pull its networks.

Other affected channels include Adult Swim, TCM, HLN, CNN en Espanol and Boomerang, but both TNT and TBS are still on air. Both companies said they were hopeful of returning to the negotiating table.

Dish has around 14 million subscribers in the US. It previously pulled AMC Networks’ channels for several months in 2012 after a similar dispute, while last year US broadcaster CBS was embroiled in a lengthy dispute over carriage fees with Time Warner Cable that prompted a blackout in three cities.