Dish Network and Disney reached a carriage agreement...

Dish Network and Disney reached a carriage agreement that includes rights for Dish to carry Disney content for over-the-top (OTT) viewing. The deal also will result in a dismissal of pending litigation over ad-skipping technology from Dish, which will disable the AutoHop functionality for ABC content within the C3 ratings window. Content from Disney and properties including ABC and ESPN will be available on TVs, computers, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles and connected devices, the companies said in a news release Monday (http://bit.ly/1fEOhB5). The distribution agreement grants Dish the rights “to stream cleared linear and video-on-demand content from the ABC-owned broadcast stations, ABC Family, Disney Channel, ESPN and ESPN2, as part of an Internet delivered, IP-based multichannel offering,” they said. For the first time, Dish subscribers will be able to access Disney’s authenticated live and VOD products, they said. “The deal also provides a structure for other advertising models as the market evolves, including dynamic ad insertion, advertising on mobile devices and extended advertising measurement periods.” The agreement is a “win-win” for both sides, said Wells Fargo analyst Marci Ryvicker. “We would venture to guess that both sides got what they needed as this seems more like an agreement between partners rather than adversaries.” Most curious is the OTT service, “and we wonder if this DIS [Disney] deal has set a precedent for future Dish carriage agreements,” she wrote investors Tuesday. Dish Chairman Charlie Ergen said the companies were taking their time to reach an agreement and his company wanted a deal that took evolving technology into consideration (CD Feb 24 p9). The deal also includes an agreement with ESPN to carry University of Texas content on the Longhorn Network within Texas and nationwide, Dish said (http://bit.ly/1mSVYHM).