Verizon, CBS Ink Retrans Pact
Agreement Includes VOD, V CAST Mobile Rights for Net, Local Shows
By Kent Gibbons -- Multichannel News, 1/12/2009 2:09:00 PM
Verizon and CBS signed long-term retransmission-consent and program-carriage agreements including on-demand access to hit shows such as CSI and Survivor for Verizon’s FiOS TV service and mobile rights to full episodes of shows including 60 Minutes for V CAST.
Verizon “broadened and extended” rights for retransmission consent for CBS's owned and operated television stations in the accords, the companies said. Other terms, such as the time length of the contracts and how much Verizon will pay CBS, were not disclosed.
Unlike the big CBS-Time Warner Cable retrans agreement a week ago, the Showtime premium channels were not cited as part of this deal.
The companies said Verizon secured mobile rights for full episodes of several top-rated CBS entertainment and news programs, including shows from prime-time and daytime and 60 Minutes. Adding full episodes builds on the CBS content already available to Verizon Wireless V CAST subscribers, the firms said.
The expanded agreements also provide national video-on-demand rights for programs in both standard and high-definition formats, including such hits as CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, NCIS, Survivor, and Numb3rs, plus VOD rights for local news shows on CBS stations in SD and HD.
CBS CEO Leslie Moonves said in a release: "We are extremely pleased to have reached this broad long-term agreement that recognizes the value of our programming. Verizon subscribers will have continued access to the No. 1 TV network not only through FiOS TV, but also through V CAST on the mobile phone, which enhances our profile on a key emerging platform."
Verizon SVP of digital media John Harrobin said in the release: "Verizon is focused on providing the most comprehensive and exciting entertainment to our customers across all our services and platforms. We're pleased to extend our relationship with CBS, which helps us deliver the hit shows and compelling content our customers want to enjoy."
Verizon’s FiOS TV is available in parts of 14 states and reaches more than 1.6 million subscribers.
