CBS and Cablevision Systems said they reached a new
agreement covering retransmission and carriage fees for CBS' broadcast and
cable channels.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The agreement comes at a time when carriage negotiations
between programmers and distributors have become more contentious. But CBS has
managed to quietly complete new deals with several carriers. CBS announced anew carriage deal with AT&T earlier this week.
The companies said the new agreement includes WCBS-TV, the
CBS owned station in New York area, as well as Showtime, Smithsonian Channel
and CBS Sports Network. In addition to Cablevision customers in the New York
area, customers in the Philadelphia and Denver market are also covered.
"Cablevision is a cornerstone partner in our flagship
market. By recognizing the value of our content, this agreement assures the
audiences we share with Cablevision will continue to be able to enjoy
programming ranging from The Big Bang
Theory to NCIS, 60 Minutes to the NFL, Homeland to Dexter, to Smithsonian Channel's award-winning programs and Jim
Rome," Martin Franks, executive VP for planning, policy and government relations
at CBS Corp., said in a statement.
"This
broad agreement will ensure that Cablevision customers will continue to have
access to the CBS programming they already enjoy, across a range of networks,
as well as new services Cablevision will launch in the coming months, including
Showtime Anytime and CBS primetime shows on demand," said Mac Budill,
Cablevision's executive VP of programming.
