The CBS network and telco AT&T have signed a multi-year carriage agreement, through which CBS-owned local broadcast stations and the CBS Sports Network will be made available on AT&T video platforms across the US.
As a result, CBS channels will return to AT&T-owned satellite-television provider DirecTV and the DirecTV Now service following a blackout that ran for nearly three weeks.
In a joint statement, CBS and AT&T said they “regret any inconvenience to their customers and viewers” and thanked them for their patience during the blackout, which affected 17 US cities including New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.
The two parties’ previous agreement expired in July and a disagreement over the amount AT&T pays CBS is said to have led to the blackout. Financial terms of the new agreement were not disclosed.
The new deal has been signed ahead of the new season of the NFL American football league, to which CBS holds broadcast rights. In 2013, CBS began a nine-year extension of its partnership with the NFL, worth a reported $9.23bn (€8.24bn).
In June, Joe Ianniello, acting CBS chief executive, said he was confident the network would secure a renewal of its NFL rights from 2022, when they are scheduled to go to market.