(Updated at 1 p.m. (ET) on Feb. 20)

In a carriage disagreement, Comcast says Spanish-language network Estrella TV has pulled its signals in three markets.

The disconnect came at midnight (CT) for KETD 46 in Denver, KZIZ 44 in Houston and KPNZ in Salt Lake City.

Liberman Broadcasting-owned Estrella TV, which said Comcast forcibly removed it, is trying to upgrade its carriage from must-carry to retransmission-consent status, which would result in license fees and full distribution in the DMAs.

Comcast, which proffers more than 60 Hispanic networks as part of its Latino package, noted that it remains Estrella’s largest distributor, carrying the channel in 13 other DMAs, including top Latino markets  Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Chicago and Fresno, Calif.

The top MSO, which is awaiting federal approvals of its proposed merger with Time Warner Cable, said the disconnect marked the first time a programmer pulled its signal in the MSO's history. Comcast said that it has been negotiating in good faith with Estrella for months.

Estrella TV maintains that it is making ratings gains against Telemundo, the Spanish-language broadcaster owned by NBCUniversal, Comcast's programming arm, which warrant an upgrade in its positioning. Comcast says Estrella’s claims of Nielsen advances are vastly overstated.  

“We are very disappointed that Liberman Broadcasting has decided to take away its Estrella broadcast stations from Comcast’s customers in Houston, Denver, and Salt Lake City.  Fortunately,  Liberman’s actions do not affect 80 percent of Comcast’s customers who will continue to receive Estrella in markets like Miami, Chicago, New York, and Fresno.  After more than 50 years of being in business and negotiating thousands of programming agreements, this is the first time a programmer has pulled its signal from our customers," said a Comcast spokesman. 

"Liberman’s precipitous action is particularly puzzling given that we are Estrella’s largest distributor and have been negotiating in good faith to reach a fair arrangement with Liberman," he continued.  "The bottom line is that we want to continue to carry the Estrella stations for our customers in these three markets and offered to do so under our existing arrangements with Liberman, which are the same arrangements we have with other, comparable stations.  Unfortunately, Liberman is insisting that we go far beyond the market and that our customers pay millions of dollars for Estrella programming, which is not widely viewed among Latino audiences, and also is insisting on significant additional distribution throughout our footprint.  We are the nation’s largest cable provider of Spanish-language network packages, so our Hispanic customers will continue to have many viewing choices.  We hope Liberman decides to return these stations to our customers.”

Estrella TV CEO Lenard Liberman offered a different view of the proceedings.

“It is a sad day for television viewers in Houston, Denver, and Salt Lake City with Estrella TV being taken off the air in those markets as Comcast places its own self-serving interests ahead of the requests of its customers,” according to Liberman's statement. “If this disregard and disrespect for its customers is an example of what consumers can expect from Comcast should its proposed merger with Time Warner Cable receives approval, it will be bad news for viewers across the country as it gives Comcast carte blanche to decide who does and does not receive fair distribution. Comcast’s continued false statements about Estrella TV’s performance and so-called low ratings are transparent efforts to misinform and confuse viewers, consumer advocates, politicians, and reporters.”

Estrella TV said Comcast’s most recent offer was without compensation and called for the network to cede the digital rights to all of its programming.

The network said it would continue to negotiate with Comcast.

Tim Carry says Dish’s disconnect from Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network has been a costly one for the No. 2 DBS provider.

Carry, executive vice president of distribution for FNC and FBN, estimated that Dish has lost some 90,000 subscribers since the channels were removed from the provider's 14 million subscribers late on Dec. 20.

He based the total on the number of viewers that have reached out to the www.keepfoxnews.com website and 888-numbers, and others that have contacted Dish directly.

Carry said that a combined 350,000 have called about or visited the section of the Fox website providing a list of alternative providers in the viewers’ area. He said the numbers began picking up on Dec. 26, after the Christmas holiday.

Given “dwell times” reaching four to five minutes, Carry said the programmer has extrapolated that at least 45,000 of these respondents have dropped Dish.

He said those are not the only means for network viewers to express their disconnect displeasure and intention to move one, and projects that a like number have contacted Dish directly to drop the provider.

“We think they’ve lost about 90,000 subscribers over the past two weeks tied to Fox News,” he said.

A Dish spokesman said, "As is our policy, we don't comment on rumor and speculation."

Fox officials say Dish dropped the signals for the two networks at 11:50 p.m. on Dec. 20, 10 minutes ahead of the expiration of their contract. Dish maintains that Fox that pulled the plug and introduced a third unrelated service into the discussions.

Carry said the parties have yet to connect since:  “They have not spoken to us at all.  There has not been any outreach on any level. Their positioning that they are actively negotiating rings hollow.”

Dish CEO Charlie Ergen in a Christmas Eve video on Dishstandsforyou.com said the parties were nearing a deal, even though Fox News was looking for an increase doubling its rate – a hike he said was somewhat justified given its leadership status in the space. He said the talks, broke down when Fox introduced a third network into the conversation, for which it was eyeing a “surcharge” that would have trebled the cost for a service that was not scheduled to expire “for some time.” Ergen didn’t identify the service.

Many believe that network in question was either Fox Sports 1 or FXX, which were converted from Speed and Fox Soccer Channel on Aug. 17, 2013 and Sept. 2, 2013, respectively. Many distributors launched the services at that forbears’ monthly license fee: some 23 cents for Speed and 18 cents for Fox Soccer.  

Carry maintains his position that the blackout is tied to the networks in question.

“These are big companies with many assets and properties,” he said. “Other things were discussed, but the negotiations broke down over core issues to Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network.”

As to ratings slippage the cable news leader has sustained over the past couple of weeks following the blackout, Fox News officials attribute the downturn to the loss of Dish's overall subscriber base, those who may switched providers and are not yet being measured by Nielsen, as well as a disruption in viewing patterns during the year-end holiday period. The Nielsen numbers should come into sharper view as the nation returns to more typical professional and personal schedules this week.

Now more than a week since their disconnect, there doesn’t appear to be any immediate resolution in sight in the Dish Network-Fox News Channel stalemate.

On Sunday afternoon, officials at Fox News said there weren’t any negotiations between the parties, and that viewers of the services were making their displeasure and intent to switch providers known via phone and social media. 

Dish declined to comment on the situation on Sunday.

The cable news category leader and flanking service Fox Business Network have been dark on the No. 2 DBS provider’s air since late on Dec. 20.

Fox officials say Dish dropped the signals for the two networks at 11:50 p.m. that night, 10 minutes ahead of the expiration of their contract. Dish maintains that it is Fox that pulled the plug and introduced a third unrelated service into the discussions. Tim Carry, executive vice president of distribution for FNC and FBN, said Dish’s characterization of that scenario to its subscribers on its website is untrue.

On Christmas Eve, Dish chairman Charlie Ergen via a video on Dishstandsforyou.com apologized to the company’s customers for the interruption of the service and noted the parties longstanding relationship.

In the video, Ergen said the parties were nearing a deal, even though Fox News was looking for an increase doubling its rate – a hike he said was somewhat justified given its leadership status in the space.

The talks, though, broke down when Fox introduced a third network into the conversation, for which it was eyeing a “surcharge” that would have trebled the cost for a service that was not scheduled to expire “for some time.” Ergen didn’t identify the service.

He continued by saying: “The result of this tactic is Fox News became hostage to an unrelated channel, where the price increase was not justified by our existing contract, or its viewership. Ironically, Fox News would be first to decry this type of deal making.Imagine if your federal taxes were suddenly increased dramatically, or you were taxed in a state you did not live in. There was nothing about this extortion attempt that was fair – or balanced. Rather, it was greedy, arrogant, and disrespectful to you, their loyal viewer.”

On the day after Christmas, Fox News issued the following retort on its Facebook page:

"Dish customers: Since Dish dropped Fox News, Dish has focused on shifting blame instead of getting Fox News back on the air. But the facts speak for themselves - Dish has blocked more than 10 channels in the last six months alone. We continue to work on resolving this situation, but until Dish is responsive, we are unable to update you on when Fox News will be available. Go to www.KeepFoxNews.com to get the latest and to find alternate providers in your area where you can get Fox News."

On Sunday, Fox News cited a number of digital metrics, where viewers have voiced their support for the networks and are looking to change providers to regain their channels.

Calls to the 800 line since word of the possible disconnect was disseminated have totaled 186,323, with 62,082 coming since the drop. A total of 121,719 calls were transferred to Dish through Sunday morning, 34,857 since the drop.

The number of emails to Dish originating from keepfoxnews.com has reached 147,000, 45,000 of which have occurred since the disconnect.

All told, there have been 901,000 unique users, 1.1 million visits and  1.6 million pageviews. Since the blackout there have been 525,000 unique users, 626,000 total visits and 939,000 pageviews.

In a carriage dispute, Dish subscribers can no longer see Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network.

As is generally the case, both sides, which faced contract expiration at 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Dec. 20, blamed the other for the disconnect.

Typically, when a service disruption occurs it is the programmer that pulls the signal, as the distributor is more than happy to continue to offer the content under the prevailing rate under the extant contract.

However, officials for 21st Century Fox said it was Dish that made the move at about 11:50 p.m. on Saturday night.  

“Fox News Channel did not disconnect Dish.  Rather, Dish prematurely ceased distribution of Fox News in an attempt to intimidate and sway our negotiations,” said Tim Carry, executive vice president FCN and FBN. “It is unfortunate that the millions of Fox News viewers on Dish were used as pawns by their provider.  Hopefully they will vote with their hard earned money and seek another one of our other valued distributors immediately.”

Dish, which earlier in the day reached a renewal with four Comcast SportsNet regional services, offered a different take on the proceedings. The DBS distributor, which has reportedly replaced FNC with Glenn Beck's The Blaze and FBN with CNBC,  said it broached a short-term extension offer, with the intent that negotiations would continue, and it was 21st Century Fox that blocked customer access to the two networks as the “media conglomerate introduced other channels into negotiations, despite those channels not being included in the contract up for renewal.”

“It’s like we’re about to close on a house and the realtor is trying to make us buy a new car as well,” said Warren Schlichting, Dish senior vice president of programming. “Fox blacked out two of its news channels, using them as leverage to triple rates on sports and entertainment channels that are not in this contract.”

Schlichting added: “Dish has had a productive relationship with Fox for many years. We regret the service disruption to our customers, and remain committed to reaching an agreement that promptly returns this content to Dish’s programming lineup.”

Carry expressed disappointment, noting the blackout occurred after nearly two decades of uninterrupted service. “We care deeply about our viewers and hope that they will regain access to the number one cable news channel soon. We will continue to work around the clock to reach an agreement with Dish, as we have done with every other pay-TV provider for 18 years. This is the third time in as many months that Dish customers have suffered through a blackout due to Dish’s intransigence. Dish’s record speaks for itself, and makes its rhetoric about ‘reasonable’ agreements ring hollow.”

Indeed, the scorecard shows that it’s been a very busy few weeks for the nation’s  No. 2 DBS provider. On Dec. 5 at 7 p.m., CBS pulled the signals for owned-and-operated stations in 18 stations during retransmission-contretemps, before restoring them about 12 hours later on that Saturday morning. CBS, which had granted Dish three extensions, also inked a new pact for Showtime Networks and other cable properties.

Last month, Turner Broadcasting System agreed to an extension, which sources say lasts into March, with Dish, an accord that put eight of its pay TV networks -- CNN, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, truTV, TCM, HLN, CNN en Espanol and Boomerang --  back in front of Dish’s 14 million customers after they went dark on Oct. 20. The Nov. 21 extension also averted a blackout of its flagship TNT and TBS networks.

There also were more peaceful programming notes,  Nexstar Broadcasting,  after granting a third extension, reached a renewal on Dec. 10 with Dish for 60 network affiliated and local stations in 46 markets.

As alluded to above, Dish has also inked a new deal with the NBC Sports Group for four Comcast SportsNet regionals: Mid-Atlantic, Chicago, Bay Area and California. NBC Sports Group afforded the DBS provider an extension on Dec. 2, ahead of the end of their contract that night.

Although the parties reached a deal on Dec. 19, CSN New England, the home of the NBA Boston Celtics, continues to remain dark to Dish customers. The parties have been out of contract there since Aug. 6

New Year’s Day could be less than festive for Cable One subscribers who enjoy NBCUniversal fare.

Comcast’s programming arm began alerting the MSO’s customers that they could lose nine cable networks, plus NBC and Telemundo stations, if the parties can’t reach a new carriage agreement.

Contracts covering USA Network, Syfy, Bravo, Oxygen, Sprout, CNBC, MSNBC, NBCSN, mun 2, as well as NBC- and Telemundo-owned stations, are set to expire at 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 31 NBC stations serving Phoenix, Oklahoma City, Boise, Idaho and Biloxi, Miss. are among the 11 that could go dark if NBCU and Cable One can’t bridge their monthly license fee differences.

Carriage of Golf Channel and E!, which were owned by Comcast before it acquired NBCU in 2011, are governed by a different contract.

NBCU began running crawl messages on USA, Syfy and NBCSN last night, with Bravo slated to join the mix today. NBCU is also getting the word out via MyShowsMatter.com (pictured).

The gambit came despite that the fact that both parties say that discussions are continuing, although the programmer characterized the talks in less than glowing terms.

“NBCUniversal offered Cable One rates at fair market value that have been widely accepted by hundreds of MVPDs. In this case, NBCUniversal has offered Cable One a deal at the same rates we provide to the NCTC, rates that were negotiated when a former Cable One executive was on the NCTC programming committee and approved the agreement,” the programmer said in a statement. “Cable One has declined all NBCUniversal offers stating they believe it deserves to receive our valuable programming at below market rates. At this point, based on Cable One's unwillingness to productively negotiate, we have to start informing our viewers that they are at risk of losing access to our programming. As the most-watched media company, we know the enormous value we bring to Cable One’s customers and hope that Cable One will reconsider and decide to continue carrying our services.”

Cable One responded with the following statement on its Facebook customer service page early Thursday afternoon: “We are shocked and dismayed that NBC Universal has launched a negative ad campaign regarding our current negotiations. Despite the fact that NBC Universal is currently demanding a rate increase that is more than double our previous contract, we are continuing to negotiate in good faith and are optimistic that we will come to an agreement. We are listening to feedback from our customers that they would like to keep these channels, and we will continue to negotiate on their behalf to resolve this agreement and avoid disruption to their channels.”

If the parties disconnect, it would mark the second major blackout with a top programming group for the MSO, which now counts just over 475,000 subscribers in 19 states. Cable One no longer offers Viacom networks as part of its video package, after MTV, Nickelodeon and Comedy Central and others went dark after the expiration of its NCTC pact on April 1.

The operator, which has seen its video subscriber rolls dip 15% since Q3 2013, has said it is downplaying video in favor of broadband service.

The NBCU carriage contretemps come as Graham Holdings has authorized its board of directors to spin off its Cable One assets, in a transaction that could be finalized in 2015.

The carriage contracts between Dish and four Comcast SportsNet regionals expire at midnight as the threat of darkness continues to loom for the DBS provider’s subscribers.

The deals for four Comcast SportsNet services – Bay Area, California, Mid-Atlantic and Chicago – conclude at the end of Dec. 1, with the RSNs potentially going black shortly thereafter.

NBC Sports Group, which operates the RSNs, on Nov. 20 launched multimedia campaigns – on the networks’ websites, plus on-air crawls and reads – warning Dish subscribers about possible drops and urged them to call  1-888-I-Want-CSN or Visit I Want CSN.com.

On Nov. 25, the programmer established dedicated microsites, where Dish subscribers can voice their support for the RSNs. Combined with the toll-free calls, the number of visits to the sites and tweets on the topic, NBCU said there has been plenty of support among the RSNs’ subscribers who want to continue to watch the networks and the attendant clubs and programming.  

"As the deadline with Dish approaches, we continue to negotiate as the tracked volume of calls, emails, tweets, website visits and petitions filed in support of CSN programming climbs into the hundreds of thousands,” said NBCUniversal. “Until an agreement is reached, we expect Dish customers who are growing tired of showdowns and blackouts to continue to voice their displeasure and consider other providers."  

Dish, which has been out of contract with CSN New England since Aug. 1 and is also engaged down-to-the-wire contract talks with CBS for its owned-and-operated stations and cable services, including premium programmer Showtime and CBS Sports Network, declined on Thursday afternoon.

Dish previously stated the Comcast RSNs were seeking a 20% increase in monthly license fees for 90% of its customers in the attendant markets, despite that only a “small fraction” of the sub bases watched the channels. The DBS company called this “heavy-handed tactic troubling” in light of Comcast's proposed merger with Time Warner Cable that would give it more power to leverage content in “anticompetitive ways.”

As mentioned, CSN New England, the home of the NBA Boston Celtics, has been off of Dish's air since for four months in a carriage dispute. Charlie Ergen's company has never carried CSN Philadelphia and CSN Northwest, or the recently shuttered CSN Houston.  It previously distributed New York Mets-centric SNY, which NBC Sports Group operates and holds a stake in.

Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) has is pushing Cox and Verizon (FiOS) to end their retransmission-consent dispute following the blackout of Cox's Fox affiliate WFXT TV Boston.

Markey, a member of the Senate Commerce Committee, said consumers were being hurt by the absence of the station to some 400,000 households. He did not point fingers at either side but simply pressed them to get a deal done for the sake of his constituents.

“For many Massachusetts consumers, Black Friday was preceded by blackout Thursday and could be followed by further programming blackouts until Cox Media Group and Verizon come to agreement," Markey said in a statement. "That's not right - the consumer shouldn't be caught in the middle. I urge both sides to continue working to resolve this dispute so consumers can access all of the programming they have paid for and expect from their video provider.”

WFXT dark at 3 a.m. on Thanksgiving.  In it most recent update on the station Web site, WFXT said it's continuing to negotiate with Verizon.

Both as a senator and as a member of the House Energy & Commerce Committee, Markey has been a consistent prod to retrans players to get their deals done.