Dish Network customers in fourteen major cities have CBS again after an agreement restored the network, which went dark Friday evening. “We are very pleased with this deal, which meets all of our economic and strategic objectives,” Ray Hopkins, president of television networks distribution for CBS, said in a statement. “We look forward to having DISH as a valued partner for many years to come.”
Negotiations over a new carriage agreement dragged on for months, with a deadline passing Thursday evening and both sides continuing to talk. By Friday night, CBS accused Dish of being “unwilling to work towards an agreement.”
“We are pleased to continue delivering CBS programming to our customers, while expanding their digital access to Showtime content through Showtime Anytime,” said Warren Schlichting, Dish senior vice president for programming.