For CBS and Dish Network, war of the words

CBS chief executive officer Les Moonves has never been one to hold back his opinion.

But it was still a bit surprising to hear him say earlier this week that if Dish Network did not abandon its controversial Auto Hop device, which allows users to skip commercials with the click of a button, the network would remove itself from the satellite service.

Yesterday Dish president Joe Clayton fired back, accusing CBS and other networks of being blind to the desires of their customers.

“They would be well advised to tune into the consumer,” Clayton said yesterday during an announcement that Dish will carry more political ads. “Give the customer choice and control. Give the customer a better experience and everybody wins.”

Dish is currently embroiled in a lawsuit brought by the networks over the device, which they say will devalue their ads and put their entire business model in danger.

Though Clayton said he’s not sure what the outcome will be, he said that in the court of public opinion, Dish has already won.

Tags: ads, auto hop, cbs, cbs dish network, dish network, dish network cbs, Joe Clayton, les moonves, political ads, Though Clayton, Yesterday Dish