Viacom and Spectrum Reach Tentative Deal Staving off Blackouts

Viacom and Charter/Spectrum reached a tentative deal Tuesday that will continue to allow Charter/Spectrum customers to see Viacom cable content.

“Viacom and Charter have reached an agreement in principle,” the companies announced in a joint statement. “Spectrum subscribers will continue to have access to Viacom’s networks, without disruption, while we finalize terms.”

The terms of the deal were not yet finalized so it is unclear if Viacom’s 23 channels will appear in Spectrum’s skinny, basic or premium tier. Last Spring, Spectrum removed Viacom channels from its basic channel lineup and created a “skinny” tier that had no sports and zero Viacom channels.

The deal comes after weeks of negotiating tactics during which Viacom publicly accused Charter of terrible customer service, increasing prices and poor treatment of its workforce.

For now, Spectrum cable subscribes can continue to view Viacom content, but until the details of the deal are finalized, it is unclear which tier will have what.