NBC Universal in Deal With DirecTV

NBC Universal signed its first major pay-TV distribution deal since completing the $14-billion merger this spring of the broadcast giant with the Hollywood studio, theme park and cable programming company.

News Corp.’s DirecTV satellite unit has agreed to continue carrying USA Network and the Sci Fi channel, while also getting the rights to carry the Bravo channel and NBC’s Summer Olympics programming in high-definition.

Sources say DirecTV will pay a 40% increase over the five-year contract for USA and a much smaller increase for Sci Fi in exchange for high-definition programming that it needs to compete against cable rivals.