Charter has sent a memo to employees that says it has reached a new carriage agreement with NBC Universal.
Update: Caley Gray, a NBC spokeswoman, confirmed to this reporter today (Thursday) that a new deal with Charter has been completed.
The memo, which was posted yesterday on the company’s private Intranet site, states that “Charter has reached a new agreement with NBC Universal to continue providing its channels which remain available to our customers who subscribe to the appropriate level of TV service”
The TV Answer Man has obtained a copy of the memo.
Amazon: 32-inch Roku TV for just $169.
Charter and NBC announced on New Year’s Eve that they had agreed to an extension in their old pact which was set to expire the next day. But the companies did not say how long the temporary extension would last, nor have they commented on the dispute since the December 31 statement.
Prior to the extension, it appeared that a blackout of all NBC-owned channels on Charter was possible on January 1. The two companies had exchanged angry words, both blaming the other for the fight.
Amazon: Indoor HDTV antenna: Just $29.99.
Told about the January Intranet memo, Charter’s corporate public relations office told this reporter that it had no comment at this time.
NBC has not responded to inquiries by the TV Answer Man.
The Charter memo advises employees to tell inquiring customers that the cable op had reached a “fair agreement” with NBC.
Amazon: Sony 55-inch 4K with HDR: $798.
If reporters contact them, the employees are advised to tell them to contact the public relations office.
It’s unclear why Charter and NBC would not announce a new carriage deal if one was signed. The companies could be working on how to communicate certain changes in the new agreement.
— Phillip Swann
