Fox Blackout May Spread as Dish, News Corp. Spar Over Fees

Dish Network Corp. customers in some cities may face their own Fox blackout next week, as the satellite company feuds with Fox parent News Corp. over programming fees ahead of a Halloween contract deadline.

Dish's existing contract to carry more than 25 local Fox TV stations expires at midnight on Oct. 31. If an agreement can't be reached, the channels would go dark for more than 3 million customers in New York, Los Angeles, Washington and other cities. That would affect Fox shows such as "House" and potentially the last three games of the World Series. "Dish is more exposed to programming costs than any other pay-TV provider because they face a lot of competition," Matthew Harrigan, an analyst at Wunderlich Securities, said. "Fox is absolutely determined to force this through."