The latest outlet that Dish Network is going to war with? The UFC. Dish won’t be offering this weekend’s (admittedly weak looking) UFC 186 pay-per-view after failing to come to an agreement with the UFC on renewing their distribution contract. Here’s the official statement from the UFC.
Due to contractual issues, DISH Network will not be offering UFC 186: Johnson vs. Horiguchi on Pay-Per-View this Saturday. While all other providers in the U.S. have come to an agreement on renewal terms, DISH Network has elected not to renew its distribution agreement with UFC. We have enjoyed a strong and productive relationship with DISH over the years, and while we’re disappointed with their decision, we are confident that our fans will be able to enjoy this weekend’s card through several other viewing options that you can read more about by clicking here. We remain hopeful that an agreement can be reached with DISH in the near future, but remain committed to ensuring that all fans have continued access to UFC events through multiple distribution options.
Dish also released a brief statement discussing the matter.
“Unfortunately, Dish and UFC have been unable to come to an agreement to deliver UFC 186 to Dish customers via pay-per-view. Dish and UFC continue to discuss carrying future events.”
According to MMAJunkie, the UFC’s contract with Dish ended on January 31st, but the two parties reached a short-term agreement to cover UFC 184 and 185.
This is simply par for the course for Dish, regardless of some UFC fans claiming that we’ve reached the end of times and the UFC is about to go under. Over the last three years, Dish has sparred with local Comcast SportsNet affiliates, CBS, Fox Sports 1, WWE, ESPN, and BTN, not to mention NFL Network, OLN (NBCSN two names ago), the Weather Channel, MSG, SNY, and AMC. It’s pretty bad when the bulk of a Wikipedia article about company criticisms deals with carriage disputes.
But since we’re in 2015, there are plenty of other options for Dish customers that want to order the PPV, mainly through UFC.tv. The UFC’s streaming service has apps for Xbox, Roku, Apple, and Android devices, along with several smart TV brands, and I’m pretty sure the UFC wouldn’t complain if you spent your money for the PPV on their app instead of through a provider.
At this point, I’m simply wondering if there’s an entity that Dish *won’t* battle in order to save a buck or two. This song and dance must be getting old for Dish’s customers, who have to be getting pretty fed up with each carriage dispute that pulls content away from them.
