AT&T and Viacom Reach New Deal to Keep Channels like Comedy Central, MTV, VH1, & Nickelodeon, But Will They Stay on DIRECTV NOW?
Viacom’s existing contract with AT&T ended on Friday night meaning that customers were at risk of losing all programming from 23 Viacom-owned channels including BET, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, MTV, and VH1.
In a joint statement this morning, AT&T and Viacom announced that a new deal had been struck.
“We are pleased to announce a renewed Viacom-AT&T contract that includes continued carriage of Viacom services across multiple AT&T platforms and products. The deal also brings AT&T customers more choice and improved value for Viacom content. We expect to announce additional details in the near future.”
What we don’t know is whether the new deal will keep the channels on all the same plans and tiers across DirecTV, AT&T U-Verse, as well as streaming services DIRECTV NOW and AT&T WatchTV. While the channels were recently removed in their new DIRECTV NOW PLUS and MAX plans, those grandfathered into the existing Live a Little, Just Right, Go Big, and Even More plans include Viacom networks.