Cablevision Reaches CBS Carriage Pact
Deal Renews TV Stations, Showtime, CBS College Sports, Adds Smithsonian Channel
Mike Farrell -- Multichannel News, 10/9/2009 2:35:18 PM
CBS said Friday that it had reached a multi-year carriage agreement with Cablevision Systems, terms of which were not disclosed.
In a statement, CBS said that Cablevision will continue to carry CBS programming and offer premium service Showtime Networks to its 3 million customers in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. In the New York metropolitan market, Cablevision will continue to carry WCBS2, while customers in central and southern New Jersey will receive Philadelphia's KYW (CBS) and WPSG (CW).
The agreement also calls for Cablevision to continue to carry CBS College Sports Network as part of its 16-channel iO Sports Pak. Cablevision also agreed to carry the Smithsonian Channel -- in its iO Gold premium package -- for the first time.
CBS has been a big proponent of cash for carriage of its broadcast stations and it could not be determined whether that was the case in this deal. In past deals, CBS has compromised, accepting higher fees for Showtime instead. The deal is the third big carriage agreement for CBS this year -- it reached a similar pacts in January with Time Warner Cable and Verizon Communications.
Cablevision and CBS declined to comment beyond the press release announcing the deal, but both side appeared pleased.
"Cablevision is happy with the outcome of this agreement and we look forward to an expanded relationship with the CBS Corp.," Cablevision chief operating officer Tom Rutledge said in a statement.
Also in a statement, CBS CEO Les Moonves said the deal "assures that Cablevision's customers will continue to enjoy CBS and Showtime content for years to come."
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