DirecTV, Viacom Reach New Agreement After 10-Day Blackout
EL SEGUNDO (CBS) — DirecTV and Viacom have reached a new long-term agreement early Friday, bringing channels like Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, MTV And BET back to homes, where those channels have been dark since July 10.
The terms of the new contract were not revealed, but DirecTV, which had accused Viacom of demanding a whopping 30 percent fee increase, claimed victory.
"We are very pleased to be able to restore the channels to our customers and thank them for their unprecedented patience and support," said Derek Chang, DirecTV executive vice president of Content Strategy and Development. "It's unfortunate that Viacom took the channels away from customers to try to gain leverage, but in the end, it's clear our customers recognized that tactic for what it was."
New York-based Viacom, which saw some of its cable shows lose ratings during the blackout, expressed satisfaction over the new pact.
"Despite the unnecessary drama, we are very pleased with our agreement and are very thankful to have reconnected with our DirecTV viewers," a Viacom statement said.
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