CBS, Dish Network Reach Carriage Agreement After 12-Hour Blackout

CBS and Dish Network yesterday "reached a multiyear pact for carriage" of CBS-owned broadcast stations and cable nets. The deal came "after CBS pulled its signals Friday night" from Dish. The agreement "covers 27 CBS-owned stations as well as CBS Sports Network, Smithsonian Channel, TVGN and Showtime Networks." The sticking points in the talks "were as much about digital rights issues as about retrans dollars and cents." Dish in a statement said that the two parties "had been at odds over the value of CBS Sports Network," among other issues (VARIETY.com, 12/6).

The programming blackout "lasted about 12 hours," and the stations "returned to Dish's service before a series of football games this weekend," including the SEC championship game. Meanwhile, as part of the agreement, people "will not be able to skip commercials with the Hopper service for CBS-owned network stations and affiliates for the first seven days after a program is televised" (N.Y. TIMES, 12/7).