CBS And AT&T Connect To Extend Carriage On U-verse

CBS’ contract with AT&T U-verse expired last night — and negotiations to extend became vexing as CBS sought clarity about what might happen when the telco buys DirecTV.

But CBS won’t go dark on AT&T, at least not for now: The companies say that they have “reached an agreement to continue our long-standing relationship…Ultimately, we both want to provide our customers with the shows they want, when and how they care to watch.”

No word about the deal terms, or the length of the new agreement. It covers U-verse’s carriage of CBS-owned TV stations, Showtime, CBS Sports Network, Smithsonian, and — beginning next year — Pop (the rebranded TVGN).

Contract talks ran into trouble in March when CBS declined AT&T’s request to extend the previous deal. The network was concerned that the telco might move its U-verse subscribers to DirecTV if, as expected, federal officials approve the deal.

Another problem arose in April after AT&T President of Content and Ad Sales Aaron Slater was fired following a racial discrimination lawsuit.