Game Show Network Pulled from Sling TV, Dish TV Amidst Carriage Dispute

Sling TV subscribers’ lives are a little less whimsical today. A carriage dispute between Sling and The Game Show Network (GSN) has led to the channel being blacked out on both Sling and its satellite service sibling, Dish TV; both outlets are owned by Dish Network. In a statement made available to all its customers, Sling TV said:

Sling TV and Game Show Network have been working together on renewing our contract for some time now, and several months ago we were happy to come to a handshake agreement with them. But unfortunately, Game Show network backpedaled and made the decision to not honor the deal that they previously agreed upon.

Game Show Network is an important partner for us and we continue to have active conversations with them. We hope Game Show Network feels the same. Our goal and priority is to reach a fair agreement to bring this channel back as quickly as possible.”

“We have been working with Game Show Network for months to finalize a fair agreement for our customers,” Dish TV senior VP for Programming Andy LeCuyer said. “Unfortunately, Game Show Network made the decision to remove its service from Dish and Sling, backpedaling out of a handshake agreement to continue carriage of their service on our platforms. This is a deceitful negotiation tactic aimed at our customers, putting them in the middle.”

The Game Show Network, of course, is laying the blame at the feet of the carriers. In a statement, it claims that it was working toward a deal with Dish, “but after eight months of negotiations we could not agree to their demands.” Each side involved in the dispute has encouraged its customers to contact the opposing entity to encourage it to give in so the dispute can be resolved.

So what’s the best way to access GSN if you’ve been cut off? There are several live TV streaming options available, and the best way is the free, ad-supported Pluto TV. Pluto does not offer the full slate of Game Show Network programs, but does feature a spinoff of GSN, called Game Show Central. GSC features classic episodes of GSN Originals, so if you need a fix while GSN and Sling hash it out, you can get one for free.

If you absolutely must have access to all of GSN, try a free trial to Philo. Philo offers a seven-day free trial, so you’ll be able to watch GSN for a full week while you wait for the dispute between GSN and Dish Network to be resolved. A subscription to Philo is $25 per month after the free trial. GSN also became available on YouTube TV late last year.

Game Show Network offers a parade of comfort TV with shows like “Catch 21” hosted by Alfonso Ribeiro, “People Puzzler” with Leah Remini, “America Says” with John Michael Higgins, and “Family Feud” with Steve Harvey. You’ll also see classic game shows like “Deal or No Deal” hosted by Howie Mandel and “Match Game” with Gene Rayburn.

The specifics of the dispute were not disclosed, but it’s a fair bet that it revolves around the carriage fee that Sling and Dish would need to pay in order to carry the network. If the numbers can be squared, GSN will return to Sling and Dish, but that’s no guarantee. It’s possible that GSN is gone forever from those services, so subscribers who are game show fanatics may want to seek an alternative.