Hays Post

A tentative agreement between representatives of Eagle Communications and Viacom was reached Tuesday evening, although that agreement has yet to be finalized.

The National Cable Television Cooperative, representing approximately 5 million cable customers nationwide including Eagle subscribers, announced the agreement, which would replace the deal that expired March 31.

“We’re very happy to get the key points out of the way, but there are still a lot of moving parts,” said Travis Kohlrus, Eagle Communications Broadband Division general manager, noting approximately 800 cable providers are a part of the talks. “Things are looking good, but there’s a few details to work out.”

As of March 31, Viacom offerings — including MTV and Nickelodeon channels — were scheduled to be pulled from Eagle cable systems, but extensions were granted until the agreement was reached.

Eagle joined other cable providers in contesting a significant proposed rate increase from Viacom. While carriers are restricted from disclosing actual rates, the initial proposal was an increase 40 times the rate of inflation.

“We’re hopeful that programming will remain part of the Eagle channel lineup,” Kohlrus said, “and we are proud to continue to look out for the best interests of our cable customers.”