RLTV Inks Affiliate Pact with Suddenlink

The busy affiliate times continue for Suddenlink Communications as the nation’s seventh-largest cable operator has inked a carriage pact with RLTV.

Under the deal, financial terms of which were not disclosed, the service targeting the 50+demographic will be available to all of Suddenlink’s 1.4 million video subscribers.

The Suddenlink agreement follows affiliate accords RLTV, which is minority-owned by Comcast, reached earlier this year with telcos AT&T U-verse and Verizon FiOS, through which it upgraded its positioning.

"Suddenlink's addition of RLTV is a key step in our effort to bring relevant and valuable content and information to the underserved and fast-growing 50+ demo.  We are grateful for their support and belief in our audience and are committed to making RLTV a valuable part of the Suddenlink multi-platform offering," said Betsy Brightman, RLTV vice president of affiliate sales and distribution.

 "We're pleased to reach an agreement with RLTV," said Kathy Payne, Suddenlink senior vice president and chief programming officer. "RLTV's efforts to bring targeted programming to an audience that represents a significant segment of our country's population is a great addition to our TV lineups."

The RLTV announcement comes on the heels of Suddenlink’s deal for a renewal for CBS stations and CBS Sports Network, as well as the launch of Smithsonian Channel, which is partly owned by the programmer’s premium service, Showtime Networks Inc.

Meanwhile, Suddenlink is evidently going down to the wire with Viacom, whose carriage contract with the MSO expires a minute before midnight on Wednesday.