Fox has started spreading the word that its distribution deal with Altice USA is set to expire in the coming days, warning that a blackout could leave millions of Optimum and Suddenlink subscribers without access to key fall programming. The carriage deal with Altice, the French telecom giant which bought Cablevision…

Altice USA and Lionsgate-owned Starz have ended a six-week impasse and set a new multi-year affiliate deal, concluding the year’s first big carriage dispute. Under the agreement, Altice will offer the full suite of Starz and Starz Encore premium linear and HD channels, On-Demand, HD On-Demand and online services…

During a conference call with Wall Street analysts about Lionsgate’s strong results in its fiscal third quarter, Starz chief Chris Albrecht noted progress in carriage talks with Altice to end a nearly six-week impasse on Optimum cable systems. Responding to an analyst’s update that some local Optimum systems appear to…

In the latest salvo in a nearly month-old carriage dispute, Starz has urged the Federal Communications Commission to enforce consumer protection rules that would require Altice USA to give Optimum cable subscribers 30 days’ notice before dropping programming. Starz urges the FCC to take emergency action because it’s…

UPDATED with Altice’s response: In what has become a regular occurrence as TV networks and cable/satellite providers squabble over carriage fees, Starz's channels have been dark on Altice USA systems, servicing 4.9 subscribers, since January 1. Albrecht didn’t mince words about Altice and its management, blasting them…

UPDATED at 4:47 PM: As the Starz-Altice standoff continues, Starz parent Lionsgate says it has issued a cease and desist letter to Altice, alleging false statements to customers over what it describes as Altice’s decision to drop the Starz channel and 16 other Starz, Encore and Movieplex channels. "It has come to our…

Altice USA has seen its share price drop by 11% on triple its average trading volume today, reaching $22.12, well below its initial public offering price of $31.60 in June, but top executives say they are not planning any emergency measures. "We are comfortable with the leverage that we have," said Dennis Okhuljsen…

After weeks of brinksmanship over carriage terms ended Sunday in a tentative, 11th-hour deal, the Walt Disney Company and the country’s No. 4 cable operator, Altice USA, have made it official. The companies’ announcement, released after the close of trading on Wall Street, said they reached a “comprehensive…

A week of speculation about carriage negotiations between Disney and cable operator Altice USA has ended with Disney suggesting that a “potential loss” of programming is possible and Altice calling for the owner of ESPN and ABC to stop the threats. The drumbeat has grown recently over negotiations to carry…

Altice shares are down 5.2%, and Charter Communication’s up 3.2%, after CNBC reported that Patrick Drahi’s European telecom company is thinking about making a $200 billion offer for the No. 2 U.S. cable company. Although it’s not certain yet that Altice will pull the trigger, it “seems likely,” the report says, as…

Investors gave Altice USA a warm — although not exuberant — welcome this morning exactly one year after it became the nation’s No. 4 cable operator with its acquisition of Cablevision. New shares in Altice USA that sold for $30 apiece in yesterday’s $1.92 billion IPO are up about 5.9% in mid-day trading. This was the…

UPDATED, with IPO launch date: Altice USA moved quickly. The No. 4 cable operator plans to go public tomorrow, it says, following following an IPO that prices its shares at $30 apiece. That makes the sale worth $1.92 billion. BC Partners accounts for 49% of the shares sold in the IPO, followed by the Canada Pension…