Court Lets EchoStar Keep Showing CBS
EchoStar Communications Corp., the second-largest U.S. satellite-television service, won a court order Friday preventing Viacom Inc. from withholding its CBS and other networks from EchoStar customers during a contract dispute.
U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilkin in Oakland said EchoStar showed that it would suffer irreparable harm if Viacom refused to let EchoStar’s Dish Network satellite service continue broadcasting the signals of Viacom’s CBS stations and its cable networks, including MTV, Nickelodeon, VH1 and BET.
EchoStar is one of several pay-TV services locked in disputes over prices they pay to program providers.
EchoStar Chief Executive Charles Ergen said last week that Viacom had threatened not to let EchoStar show the CBS broadcast next month of football’s Super Bowl.
Shares of Englewood, Colo.-based EchoStar rose 29 cents to $36.05 in Nasdaq trading Friday, before the ruling was announced.
The Class B shares of New York- based Viacom fell 49 cents to $40.96 on the New York Stock Exchange.
EchoStar was pleased with the ruling, spokesman Steve Caulk said.
Viacom spokeswoman Susan Duffy declined to comment.
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