CBS, Dish Network Reach Multiyear Deal In Contract Dispute To End Brief Blackout

WASHINGTON (AP) — CBS Corp. and TV provider Dish Network Corp. said Saturday that they have reached an agreement that ends a contract dispute that had led to a short programming blackout in local markets around the country.

CBS had blocked Dish from carrying the local channels of CBS-owned TV stations for about 12 hours starting Friday night because of the contract dispute. The 14 cities affected included New York, Sacramento and Los Angeles.

In a joint statement Saturday, the two companies said they had reached a multiyear deal that will allow Dish to carry CBS-owned TV stations nationwide as well as various cable channels including the CBS Sports Network and Showtime.

Dish will get the rights to deliver Showtime programming on mobile devices, the statement said. The companies said the agreement will result in the dismissal of pending litigation between them, including disputes over such services as PrimeTime Anytime.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but executives from both companies expressed satisfaction with the deal.

"We are pleased to continue delivering CBS programming to our customers while expanding their digital access to Showtime content through Showtime Anytime," Warren Schlichting, a Dish senior vice president, said in the statement.

Ray Hopkins, president of television networks distribution for CBS, said the deal met the company's economic and strategic objectives.

"We look forward to having Dish as a valued partner for many years to come," he said.