Reversing a trend of serious, chronic carriage impasses with small- and mid-sized cable operators, Viacom has announced a deal with Frontier Communications to renew 27 programming channels.
The deal with Stamford, Conn.-based Frontier also includes premium channel Epix, which Viacom jointly owns with Lionsgate and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
Neither side has disclosed terms of what is being described as a "long-term renewal." The agreement covers most of the Viacom bundle, ranging from popular channels such as Comedy Central, MTV, VH1, BET and Nickelodeon to more lightly viewed platforms, including TeenNick and Tr3s.
Frontier serves just over 395,899 pay-TV customers, a base that actually grew by 0.5 percent in the third quarter.
In recent months, Viacom has failed to come to terms with several smaller MSOs, including Cable One and Suddenlink.
For more:
- read this Viacom press release
Related links:
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