Missing Versus on DirecTV? Dish Network has the answer

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After Time-Warner cable customers were inadvertently blacked out of 54 seconds of a Dodgers game just when Manny Ramirez hit a game-winning grand slam, DirecTV was quick to begin an ad campaign suggesting that Dodgers fans who wanted to see every moment of Dodgers games might consider switching their television service.

So here’s a DISH Network ‘take that, DirecTV’ moment.

Monday at 9 p.m. DirecTV dropped the Versus network, which is owned by Comcast. The DirecTV contract with Versus expired Aug. 31 and no new agreement was reached. Versus has become a mostly sportscentric channel known most for its coverage of the Tour de France and NHL but also with a slate of college football games including several in the Pac-10, bull riding, cage fighting and IRL auto racing.

Today, DISH Network, like DirecTV a satellite provider of television service, announced it was offering Versus free for three months. All existing and new DISH Network customers can watch Versus in both standard definition and high definition on channel 151.

-- Diane Pucin