Pay-TV subscribers of Altice will be able to watch their NFL games this weekend.
The New York-based cable company and Fox Corp. were able to come to terms on a new carriage agreement, averting a blackout of its channels.
On Thursday, the companies warned that Fox, Fox News and Fox Sports 1 were at risk of going dark as the two sides were deadlocked in negotiations over the fees Altice would need to pay for the channels.
Late Friday night, the companies said they were able to cut a deal.
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“Optimum and Fox are pleased to announce that a mutually agreed upon deal has been reached that will allow continued carriage of Fox programming for Optimum TV customers,” the companies said in a joint statement.
Altice is a mid-sized cable provider, with about 2.6 million video subscribers (it uses the Optimum brand name for its home TV and internet services). However, it has an extensive footprint within the New York TV market (specifically parts of New York City and many of the surrounding suburbs), which makes it a critical provider for entertainment companies.
Fox, of course, has Sunday NFL games, as well as the MLB playoffs, not to mention entertainment fare like The Masked Singer and Fox News Channel, which is likely to see ratings rise ahead of the 2022 midterm elections.
That critical programming likely played a role in ensuring a deal could be cut.
