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Paramount Global headquarters
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
Paramount Global and Comcast Xfinity have cut a new carriage deal, averting a potential New Year’s Day blackout that would have included the CBS network and other channels owned by the company.
The deal includes continued carriage of Paramount’s portfolio of channels and apps across the Xfinity platforms. Paramount owns CBS, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, MTV, BET and Paramount Network, among other offerings.
A Paramount spokesperson confirmed the new carriage agreement to The Hollywood Reporter.
The previous deal between the company was signed less than two years ago.
The agreement is significant as some New Year’s Eve NFL games and New Year’s Day college football games could have been impacted had the companies not reached a deal. The NFL playoffs also start early next month, with CBS holding some big games.
Comcast is one of the two largest cable companies in the U.S. through its Xfinity service (Charter Spectrum is the other) making the deal a pivotal one for Paramount. Comcast has more than 14 million video subscribers.
And the deal is also significant because Paramount is effectively on the market via its controlling shareholder National Amusements. Any potential buyer of the company will want to have carriage deals in place so they can develop a strategy for its assets.
As streaming takes over from traditional linear TV, some cable companies are beginning to reimagine their deals. Charter and its Spectrum service were in an extended carriage dispute with Disney earlier this year, forcing ESPN off the lineup during the U.S. Open. The two sides eventually cut a deal before the NFL season, though it included big changes like the elimination of some major channels and adding Disney+ to the bundle offering.
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