Discovery accuses Sky of using 'alternative facts' as dispute turns increasingly bitter

LONDON - Discovery has turned to a phrase made famous by top Donald Trump aide Kellyanne Conway, as its dispute with Sky becomes increasingly bitter.

Discovery is threatening to remove its 12 channels from the Sky platform this week, complaining that Rupert Murdoch's pay-TV company is not willing to pay a "fair price."

Sky argues that Discovery's price demands are "completely unrealistic." On Friday, it claimed that Discovery is demanding £1 billion to carry the channels, which include TLC and Eurosport.

But in the latest update, a Discovery source said the £1 billion figure is "simply not true." In a statement, the broadcaster accused Sky of using "alternative facts."

This was a phrase used by Conway last week to defend White House press secretary Sean Spicer's statements about the attendance at US President Trump's inauguration.

Discovery said: "Sky's statement is unfortunately based on 'alternative facts.' The truth is Sky pay us less now than they did in 2006. We have asked for a few extra pennies per year for each Sky household. We would never choose to come off Sky and abandon our viewers who we value enormously."

Where do Sky and Discovery go from here?

The existing agreement between Sky and Discovery, known as a carriage deal, expires on 31 January. It means the two companies have around 48 hours to hammer out a new deal or Discovery will pull its channels from the Sky platform.

Discovery insists it has never left the negotiating table and believes an agreement can be reached. Sky also claims it has not walked away from the talks, but in its statement last Friday, it said it was preparing for life without the Discovery channels.

"Our commitment to our customers is this: We will spend every penny that we were going to pay to Discovery on more and better content that our customers value," a spokeswoman said.

Discovery continues to update viewers on the dispute, both online and on television. It used the Australian Open tennis finals this weekend to warn viewers that they could miss the action next year if the dispute is not resolved.