DISH Network customers may have noticed that some of their favorite channels no longer seem as high-def as they were a few days ago. That’s because the satellite provider has dropped four Disney-owned channels in a dispute with the Mouse over carriage fees.

The channels pulled from the DISH HD lineup are Disney Channel HD, Disney XD HD, ABC Family HD and ESPNews HD. All still exist on DISH in their standard def format.

Here’s what the satellite company, which recently dropped its fees for HD service explains their side thusly:

DISH Network offers all customers ‘HD Free for Life,’ which is possible because we are committed to negotiating fair contracts that allow us to keep our prices low… That is why we could not agree to the significant fees requested by Disney and ESPN Networks for the HD feeds of Disney East, Disney XD, ESPNews and ABC Family.

This isn’t the first time in recent months that Disney has squared off against a provider. Earlier this year, Disney-owned ABC was briefly pulled off NYC-area cable company Cablevision over a fee dispute.

DISH Network says it is still in talks with Disney about this situation and hopes “to reach a fair resolution.”

DISH Network Drops 4 Disney HD Channels over Carriage Fee Dispute [TV.com]

Thanks to Mike for the tip!

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