DirecTV and Viacom Renew Their Vows

Someone blinked.  While deal terms were not announced, it is logical to expect that they did indeed rise and will continue to increase over the course of the new deal.  Consumers who subscribe to DirecTV will once again get their MTV, Comedy Central, and their Nickelodeon, and eventually find themselves paying more on their bills. Cable and satellite multi-video program distributors (MVPD) are still the primary aggregators for linear content.  And while they may temporarily drop a network or two, ultimately they still find themselves needing to carry everything.  At the same time, the growing costs of carriage may cause the subsequent rising consumer fees to further push consumers to cut the cord.

For DirecTV the new deal assures them programming for authenticated viewers in a TV Everywhere world.  "DirecTV subscribers will also be able to see Viacom shows on tablets, laptops and other devices using DirecTV's Everywhere platform."  One deal done.  Now we can focus on Dish and AMC, Hearst and Time Warner Cable.

REVISED:  Hearst and Time Warner Cable have just agreed to terms. Per Multichannel, the blackout has been lifted.