Washington, D.C. (Nov. 2,
2011) -- DIRECTV last night
agreed to a last-minute "long-term" deal with Belo Corp. which
ensures the satcaster can keep Belo's 18 local stations on the
air.
The past agreement was set to expire yesterday at midnight.
DIRECTV released a statement last night that said: "We have
reached a long-term agreement with Belo which will allow our
customers to continue to enjoy their favorite channels and
shows. These disputes should never involve viewers and we
appreciate our customers' patience as we worked to successfully
complete this agreement."
DIRECTV and Belo were quarreling over how much the satcaster
should pay to carry the local stations. The companies did not
comment on the terms of the new deal.
The Belo deal comes a day after DIRECTV settled a programming
dispute with Fox that allows the satcaster to continue airing
roughly two dozen Fox channels as well as the Fox News Channel
and local Fox-owned channels.
The Belo stations that could
have been taken off the air are:
Dallas (ABC)
Houston (CBS)
Phoenix (CW)
Seattle (NBC)
Portland (NBC)
Charlotte (NBC)
San Antonio (CBS)
Hampton Roads (ABC)
Austin (ABC)
Louisville (ABC)
New Orleans (CBS, My Network)
Tucson (Fox, My Network)
Spokane (CBS, CW)
Boise (NBC)
St. Louis (CBS)
