DirecTV and Viacom have resolved their 10-day contract dispute,
bringing channels including MTV, Comedy Central, BET and more back to
satellite subscribers, Deadline reports.
The spat between the network and provider took more channels (26 in
all) from more consumers than any other similar dispute between a pay TV
distributor and programmer.
The news will most likely come as a relief to investors, who feared a
prolonged dispute and consequential blackout would harm both companies’
bottom lines. Hollywood studios should be pleased as well, with some
telling Deadline’s Nikki Finke that it was difficult to promote new
movies while Viacom’s youth-oriented channels were off the air in
DirecTV subscribers’ homes.
