Viacom in business with Altice USA

New York-based media giant Viacom has partnered with the US’s newest cable competitor, Altice USA, in a wide-ranging pact.

The multi-year deal will see Altice renewing carriage of Viacom networks such as Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and MTV, plus take more digital rights, and select virtual reality and 4K content.

Viacom’s channels were already on Altice USA’s Optimum offer, and will now return to a number of Suddenlink systems.

Both brands are set to disappear after Altice founder and owner Patrick Drahi this week announced a plan to consolidate his assets under the Altice brand.

“These agreements demonstrate our commitment to collaborating on next-generation solutions that provide a better experience for viewers and exciting new business opportunities for our partners,” said Viacom executive VP of content distribution Tom Gorke.

“Altice USA has a strong growth strategy, fueled by the delivery of outstanding content on an outstanding network, and we are proud to play a role in their next chapter.”

Altice USA chief content officer Michael Schreiber said: “Our joint efforts to find flexible and creative solutions will benefit Altice USA’s customers as we look to provide the best video experience in our markets, build on our innovative data-driven advertising capabilities, and provide our customers with access to Viacom’s marquee programming.”

France-based Altice entered the US market by acquiring Cablevision for US$17.7 billion in September 2015, while Viacom is undergoing significant structural changes under new CEO Bob Bakish, who is planning on revitalising the business by focusing on key brands, including the soon-to-launch Paramount Network, which is included in the new deal.