In September 2016, Dish Network (DISH) launched its Flex Pack, which offers consumers a basic channel bundle of 50 channels and one additional pack of channels for $39.99 per month. However, Dish excluded from the basic bundle channels like Walt Disney’s (DIS) ABC and CBS (CBS), making them available in add-on tiers with prices ranging from $4 to $10 each month.

This move appears to be an attempt to reduce the price of skinny bundles and attract new subscribers to pay-TV. Broadcast channels like Disney’s ESPN are expensive to carry for pay-TV operators like Dish. The inclusion of broadcast networks like Disney’s ESPN in a basic bundle would result in raising the cost of the bundle.