Even as the retransmission consent stalemate between CBS and Time Warner Cable continues forward, CBS and Verizon’s FiOS were able to come to terms for the same thing. Verizon provides an alternative to viewers in TWC markets where CBS programming is currently unavailable.
Terms were not released, other than the fact that the deal has will be in effect for three years.
“We are very pleased to reach this agreement with Verizon and its FIOS service,” said Ray Hopkins, President, Television Networks Distribution, CBS Corporation. “This deal was reached in a short period of time, and CBS has once again achieved fair value for our over-the-air rights. Verizon is a distribution partner of growing importance to us that provides excellent service to its expanding number of subscribers, and we are glad that this partnership will continue and grow.”
“We’ve reached this agreement in partnership with CBS for our customers, so that they may continue to enjoy CBS content on FiOS,” said Terry Denson, Vice President of Video Content and Strategy at Verizon. “Verizon continues to address areas of change where necessary in current policies to better reflect the interests of consumers.”
The deal brings both CBS O&O and CBS Sports programming to Verizon. Separate deals in place for CBS assets Showtime and Smithsonian will also continue to be in effect.
RBR-TVBR observation: We continue to wonder how any knowledgeable observer of recent retransmission consent history can possibly venture to distribute the blame for the CBS/TWC impasse equally, much less pin the lion’s share of the blame on CBS.
This simple fact is that most retrans deals are struck without drama or disruption.
When there is drama and disruption, and it involves a cable company, that company is usually TWC.
When contentious negotiations feature an ensemble cast on the television side of the table and a cast of one on the cable side of the table, it doesn’t take the FBI to figure out which side is the source of the problem.
