Viacom, DirecTV End Fight, Restore Missing Channels

MIAMI (CBSMIami) - If you are a DirecTV subscriber and were thinking about switching to one of South Florida's cable companies over the loss of almost 20 channels programmed by Viacom, stand down. The programmer and the satellite service have reached a deal, and channels like Comedy Central and MTV are back on the bird.

The two companies had been at odd over what DirecTV paid Viacom for the use of it's programming, and matters came to a head last week after a contract expired and DirecTV took the channels of it's lineup.

The fight left angry subscribers with no programs, screens telling them to call Viacom and complain, and a threat by some to change services.

Neither side will talk about what it cost to reach an agreement, but some sources close to the talks claimed Viacom will get $600 million a year, an increase of about 16%. The company had asked for 30 percent, according to DirecTV.

The loss of 26 networks to 20 million homes for nine full days is the biggest of these payment squabbles to date.

On July 1, AMC Networks, was yanked from the Dish Network after the two companies failed to reach a new contract. They now have made the absence part of their on air advertising campaign for their most popular shows, saying they are "on cable and satellite, but Not on Dish."

Other programming disputes this summer have usually been quickly solved, such as a contract battle between uVerse and AMC.