Sept 8 (Reuters) - DISH Network said on Friday Hearst Television removed access to 37 local channels in 27 markets for DISH TV customers after failing to reach an agreement for distribution.

The company said it had been in talks with Hearst for months to agree a deal to keep its channels on air.

"Hearst is demanding tens of millions of dollars in rate increases that would affect customers," DISH said. (Reporting by Akash Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri)