DirecTV Inc. late Thursday removed on-air language threatening to drop pop-culture network Trio in an apparent first step toward resolving a contract dispute between the two companies.
The direct-broadcast satellite provider had been running a crawl on Universal Television Group-owned Trio's channel slot since Dec. 2, alerting subscribers that it would drop the service if it could not finalize a carriage agreement with Trio by Dec. 31, when the current distribution deal expires.
DirecTV represents more than one-half of Trio's 20 million-subscriber base.
"It's a positive sign that we're making progress in reaching a mutually acceptable agreement that would keep Trio on DirecTV," DirecTV spokesman Bob Marsocci said.
"Universal Television Group can confirm that we are engaged in talks with DirecTV regarding carriage of Trio," a Universal spokesman said in a prepared statement. "We look forward to being a part of DirecTV for a long time to come."
