Cablevision Systems Corporation and Viacom have reached an agreement to resolve litigation filed in the Southern District of New York related to Cablevision’s Optimum Apps, which streams content to iPads.
In a joint statement, the companies said: “Viacom and Cablevision have agreed to resolve their pending litigation, and the Viacom programming will continue to appear on Cablevision’s Optimum Apps for iPad and other IP devices. In reaching the settlement agreement, Cablevision and Viacom were able to resolve the iPad matter and an unrelated business matter to their mutual satisfaction. Neither side is conceding its original legal position or will have further comment.”
No financial details were issued about the agreement, but the main outcome is the fact that Cablevision can continue to stream Viacom owned content to iPad and other mobile devices.
Earlier this week, the US cable operator also introduced an app which streams content to iPhones and iPod Touch. This includes the full range of over 300 linear TV channels and the cabler’s full VOD lineup.
Viacom also has a similar dispute with Time Warner Cable, which seems to remain in deadlock. Cable operator argue that no additional remuneration is needed for streaming linear channels to mobile devices. They claim that tablets and smart phones are acting as TV sets and distribution to these is included in the existing distribution agreements with the broadcasters.
Broadcasters and content owners such as Viacom claim streaming to other devices is not covered by the existing distribution agreements.
