CBS: Thursday 7 P.M. Deadline For Dish Network Blackout

If the blackout occurs on Thursday, the only way NFL fans in 14 markets will get to see Phil Simms and Jim Nantz call a game is on Madden NFL.

After barely averting a blackout of CBS-owned stations for millions of Dish Network satellite customers, CBS now says the latest deadline to end the contract stalemate with Dish is coming on Thursday night.

“We would very much like to avoid going dark, thereby joining the more than 120 stations Dish has dropped since 2013 alone,” CBS said in a statement. “Unless agreements are reached, however, our viewers should be prepared to lose CBS from their Dish systems on Thursday evening at 7:00 PM/ET.”

The two companies have yet to resort to a blackout, which would take away the CBS Sports channel from 14 million Dish customers and CBS owned-and-operated stations in the nation’s largest markets, including New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Miami, Denver, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Chicago and Dallas.

A blackout would affect numerous Sunday afternoon football broadcasts in these markets. Jets fans in the NYC area would not be able to see their team play the Minnesota Vikings. Dish customers in Denver would be unable to catch the Broncos game against the Buffalo Bills. Same with Pittsburgh Steeler fans who would miss out on Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Then there is the game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Miami Dolphins, which would be blacked out on Dish for customers in both markets.

Dish recently ended a month-long blackout of Turner Broadcasting channels, including CNN, HLN, and the Cartoon Network.

In 2013, CBS-owned stations were blacked out for more than a month for millions of Time Warner Cable customers in L.A., NYC, and Dallas.

by Chris Morran via Consumerist