ESPN Ordered to Pay Dish

A federal jury in Manhattan ordered ESPN to pay Dish Network $4.86 million in damages in a dispute over licensing rates for sports broadcasts.

Dish Network alleged that the sports broadcaster violated an eight-year broadcast licensing agreement by offering more favorable rates to the satellite provider's competitors. The agreement is set to expire later this year. The jury on Thursday found in favor of Dish Network on only one of its four claims: that ESPN had allowed Dish's competitors to pay a lower rate for ESPN Deportes, the broadcaster's Spanish-language channel. Dish Network had sought more than $152 million in the dispute. Diane Sullivan, a lawyer with Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, which represented ESPN, said the network was "thrilled with the result." She said the network was evaluating whether to file a post-trial motion asking the judge to set aside the jury's verdict on the one claim where Dish prevailed.