Fans of the CBS sitcom "The Big Bang Theory" in the Spokane area know Kaley Cuoco for her role as Penny on the hit series and a variety of commercials she has appeared in recently.
What Cuoco's fans may not know unless they follower her Twitter feed is that she recently got into some hot water with CBS because of a sponsored tweet she posted for Dish Network's Hopper on Wednesday, February 27.
According to Samantha Murphy of Mashable, "Along with other networks such as ABC, NBC and FOX, CBS is currently suing Dish for the service, which allows users to skip over commercials while watching shows, including The Big Bang Theory.
"... Before the tweet was removed due to the conflict of interest, Dish said thousands of people clicked on the link she posted."
This may not sound like a big deal. Unfortunately for Cuoco, CBS and the other networks that are suing Dish believe that the Hopper is illegal because it allows viewers to automatically skip over commercials on recorded shows.
On Thursday, February 28, Dan Farber of CNET provided all the details.
According to Farber, "The networks contend that Dish doesn't have the right to tamper with advertising from broadcast replays for its own economic and commercial advantage. The lawsuits brought by CBS, Fox (News Corp.), NBC (Comcast), and ABC (Disney) so far have not stopped Dish from selling the Hopper, which the company says is in two million homes."
Cuoco has not commented yet on why she decided to take down the paid tweet. That may be wise, because representatives of CBS and Dish are openly feuding in their public statements.
According to Farber, "In a press release, Dish CEO Joe Clayton accused CBS of demanding that the sitcom star remove the tweet: 'Clearly, with this kind of response, consumers have a true interest in the types of innovations the DISH Hopper offers. It's a shame that CBS, despite its legacy, feels it needs to thwart this kind of consumer demand.'
"A CBS spokesperson denied the accusation: 'Once again, Joe Clayton demonstrates his dubious gift for hyperbole and hucksterism. No demands were made, but it's clear that Dish's culture of fabrication is alive and well.'"
Cuoco's career is probably safe, so fans of the show in the Spokane area don't need to be too concerned. However, this online feud may backfire by making more people aware of the benefits of using a Dish Hopper.
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