DISH Network (DISH) and Gannett (GCI) reached a long-term agreement Monday morning, the companies announced. The companies penned a new deal, ending their dispute over DISH's commercial-skipping feature, the "Autohopper," which Gannett argued was hurting revenues from advertisers. The companies had a midnight deadline last night to finish negotiations, but that was extended by several hours as negotiations dragged on.
Had the two parties not reached an agreement in time, Dish customers in 19 markets would have been blacked out from certain ABC, CBS, and NBC affiliates owned by Gannett, according to a Reuters report. The companies have not disclosed the value or terms of the deal, but the Autohopper feature will remain for Dish customers.
