Dish Network and Tribune Broadcasting announced a long-term agreement on carriage and retransmission content today. In a joint statement, the companies said the pact would last “for years to come.”
“We want to thank our viewers and customers for their patience and support as we worked through this lengthy process,” the statement reads. “We’re pleased to move forward and again be able to provide the content of Tribune’s local stations and WGN America for years to come.”
The contract covers 42 local TV stations and cable net WGN America, restoring Dish carriage of Tribune’s stations in 33 markets. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The companies expect both WGN America and the Tribune local stations to be available to Dish customers later today.
In an email message thanking Tribune staffers today, president and CEO Peter Liguori wrote, “While the specifics of the agreement are confidential, we’re pleased with its terms and believe we achieved everything we had hoped to, including broad distribution for WGN America. The timing is great, too, with college and NFL football about to get the regular season underway, new fall prime-time programming set to debut in a few weeks, and Salem returning for its third season on WGN America.”
