Dish Network customers lose CNN, Cartoon Network

Dish Network customers were left without Anderson Cooper and Tom & Jerry on their televisions Tuesday following a dispute between the satellite TV giant and Turner Broadcasting.

Cable networks such as CNN and Cartoon Network were pulled from Dish’s programming lineup after a deadline passed for the satellite provider and Turner Broadcasting to renew their distribution agreement.

Other Turner channels removed from Dish’s lineup include HLN, truTV, Boomerang, Adult Swim, CNN en Espanol and Turner Classic Movies. The channels are part of a widely distributed programming package that a majority of Dish’s 14-million customers receive.

However, two-other popular Turner-owned channels — TBS and TNT — are still available because the contract covering those networks has not expired.

In a statement Tuesday, Dish said Turner Broadcasting — a division of Time Warner Inc. — pulled the networks around midnight Tuesday morning after the two companies were unable to come to terms.

“In the past year, DISH has successfully renewed agreements with many large content providers,” Warren Schlichting, DISH senior vice president of Programming, said in a statement. “As a result, we are confident that we have offered a deal to Turner that reflects an appropriate value for our customers.”

“DISH has had a productive relationship with Turner Networks for many years,” Schlichting said. “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.”

The contract dispute between Dish and Turner Broadcasting is the most recent conflict between programming providers and distributors that have left millions of TV viewers without access to their favorite networks.

Pay-TV distributors say they are trying to keep programming costs down as customers complain about rising bills and cut the chord.

“Turner has worked diligently for months to come to a fair agreement including multiple extensions and compromises,” Turner said in a statement.

“It’s unfortunate that Dish is once again operating in a disruptive manner that takes away networks and programming from their customers,” Turner said. “We are hopeful our counterparts will return to the negotiating table, and [that] we’ll get a deal completed.”