AT&T Reaches Carriage Deal With Entertainment Studios

AT&T said Monday it will distribute Byron Allen-owned Entertainment Studios' portfolio of networks, a year after the content company and the National Association of African-American Owned Media (NAAAOM) filed a discrimination lawsuit against the telco.

The deal calls for A&T’s U-Verse and DirecTV to distribute Entertainment Studios’ seven high-definition networks – Comedy.Tv, Justice Central, Recipe.TV, ES.TV, MyDestination.TV, Cars TV and Pets TV, according to AT&T officials.

The carriage agreement comes after the two sides settled a $10 billion discrimination suit lawsuit filed in December 2014 by Entertainment Studios and NAAAOM against AT&T and DirecTv charging that the distribution companies refused to contract with 100% African-American owned media. Regarding the lawsuit, Entertainment Studios would only say that “the matter has been resolved.”

NAAAOM and Entertainment Studios still have a similar discrimination lawsuit pending against Comcast Cable.

R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.