Viacom networks including MTV, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon went dark for DirecTV subscribers at midnight ET as Viacom and DirecTV squabbled over fees.
Ending a nine-day fight over terms of a new contract, Viacom Inc.reached an agreement with satellite broadcaster DirecTV on Friday to return more than a dozen cable channels — including MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and VH1 — to the pay television provider.
Customers are likely to notice a bump in their monthly bill from DirecTV as a result of the new deal, but executives there said Viacom is getting less than it wanted.