Regional sports networks AT&T SportsNet and Root Sports were removed from Dish TV today. Dish customers will no longer have access to AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain, AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh, and Root Sports Northwest.
“The current RSN model is fundamentally broken,” said Brian Neylon, group president, DISH TV. “This model requires nearly all customers to pay for RSNs when only a small percentage of customers actually watch them.”
Dish says that AT&T SportsNet and Root Sports were “demanding rates that would be passed on to nearly every customer” which resulted in the companies being unable to come to carriage deal terms.
“Our proposal to offer sports fans access to RSNs is simple, and provides choice and value to all of our customers,” added Neylon. “It would allow DISH TV customers to choose to subscribe to the RSN channels they want — such as the regional AT&T SportsNet and Root Sports networks — on an a la carte basis, similar to premium subscription channels. With this updated RSN model, no customer would be forced to pay for content they don’t watch, and the RSNs would determine the price customers would pay for their channels.”
Those who want to continue accessing the channels can stream them with DirecTV Stream. AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh and Root Sports Northwest are also available to stream on fuboTV.