Dish-Viacom Deal

Towards the end of last month, satellite provider Dish joined with Viacom in announcing the finalization of a multiyear carriage deal. The agreement means Dish will continue to carry Viacom’s Television network bundle, and that there will not be a blackout like the provider threatened. Instead, the company’s 14 million subscribers will be able to watch the 18 channels from the Viacom station, including MTV, Nickelodeon, and Comedy Central.

Also, some more content from Viacom will be added to the Sling TV service, which is famous for offering an appealing alternative through its ‘slim’ programming packages. Pricing of Sling TV starts at $20 per month, and you can add specific genre programming packages to that for additional monthly fees. The terms of the deal have not been let out yet.

Dish To Carry Viacom

The agreement is a good thing for Viacom, which has been reeling at business for the past few months. Reports from the company mention weak earnings and management issues, and the threat of a blackout from Dish looked enough to decide the company’s fate. Apparently, it has been. Investors have been reassured by the news of an agreement between the two parties. This has a lot to do with the fact that over 80 percent of Viacom’s distribution is invested in long-term deals. The company said these deals would drive growth in the affiliate department.

With money brought in from cable, satellite and other digital distributors, it hopes to achieve “solid mid-single-digit” rates next year. In February, the company incited anxiety among investors by lowering projections of affiliate revenue to the “low mid-single-digit range” for the 2016 fiscal year, after having said this would be in the high single digits.

Dish CEO, Charles W. Ergen, made a statement that the deal would mean a 20-year relationship between companies, saying, “We appreciate Viacom’s willingness to continue with us on our journey as we work to deliver the best, most innovative television services available.” Dish meanwhile, is expanding service to include unlikely components such as mobile phone repair.