EchoStar/Lifetime Rift Intensifies, Net Seeks To Chip Dish

A dispute between Dish Network and Lifetime Entertainment Services intensified, even as both sides continued to negotiate a way out.

Dish fired off a letter to the heads of prominent women's organizations, asserting that the issue "is about economics, not women's issues." Meanwhile, Lifetime expanded the scope of a "drop Dish" ad campaign to five additional markets as well as television and radio.

The Dish letter was a return salvo for an ad Lifetime ran Wednesday, charging it with denying women "inspiration and support;" the ad ran in the form of an open letter to Dish CEO Charlie Ergen, and was signed by a slew of prominent female activists.

Dish and Lifetime are locked in a stand-off over the fees satellite operator Dish would pay Lifetime to carry two of its female-oriented channels. As a result, Dish has blacked out Lifetime in up to 12 million homes.

Both sides say they continue to negotiate on a deal that would restore Lifetime's flagship channel and movie network to Dish customers.

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Dish says Lifetime is making an "excessive price demand," Lifetime counters that the dispute is over "pennies."

The flagship Lifetime Television channel saw a 4 percent increase in prime-time viewing last year, while Lifetime Movie Network had a 15 percent jump.

On Thursday, Lifetime expanded its ad campaign, encouraging Dish users to switch to a competitor, either DirecTV or a cable provider. The radio, television, and print effort is now in the Houston, Albuquerque, Orlando, Raleigh-Durham, and Greenville, S.C. areas.

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