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Lifetime Rejects Latest Offer From EchoStar

Jan 22, 2006  •  Post A Comment

Lifetime said it rejected a “take it or leave it” offer on Sunday from EchoStar Communications’ Dish Network. A Lifetime spokesperson said the offer would have cut the fee Lifetime gets for its main Lifetime Network and Lifetime Movie Network by one-third, thus crippling Lifetime’s ability to create original programming for its subscribers. Lifetime said it would step up its multimedia campaign to urge viewers to “Switch From Dish.”

“We have been unable to reach an agreement, even though we offered a number of options which were ultimately rejected by Lifetime,” said Michael Neuman, president of EchoStar. “Dish Network will permanently replace the Lifetime Channel by month end, and we are in meaningful discussions now with a number of interesting programmers for a compelling replacement to Lifetime.”

Lifetime and Lifetime Movie Network have been off Dish since Dec. 31, while Lifetime and Dish have been locked in a battle over the rates Lifetime wants from Dish for carrying its networks.

Dish has added Oxygen, WE: Women’s Entertainment and Encore Love as replacement programming. A Lifetime spokesperson said would listen if EchoStar made a reasonable proposal. EchoStar claimed that Lifetime had been seeking a 76 percent rate increase; Lifetime said it was seeking only about four cents more per subscriber.