Time Warner Cable said that it has entered into a multiyear pact with Scripps Networks Interactive for continued distribution of Food Network and music-oriented service Great American Country.
The parties' carriage contract expired on Dec. 31, but the networks had remained available to the No. 2 cable operator's subscribers as negotiations continued.
Much of Time Warner Cable's attention at year-end had been focused on securing a retransmission-consent deal with Fox, as well as license renewals for a host of its national cable channels, as well as regional sports networks.
Deal terms were not disclosed, but Scripps has been looking for a significant license fee increase for Food, which has registered significant Nielsen growth of late, with a number of other distributors.
For Scripps, the Time Warner Cable pact represents the latest in a series of contract renewals. After a contentious few weeks, Food Network and HGTV returned to Cablevision's air on Jan. 21. The programmer pulled the networks' signals from Cablevision with the dawn of the new year and the expiration of the old contract.
Earlier, Scripps, according to cable executives familiar with the negotiations, landed a deal with the National Cable Telecommunications Cooperative at increased rates for both Food and HGTV, which initially had gained carriage through relatively low-priced, long-terms agreements.
At the Citigroup conference on Jan. 6, Scripps Networks chief financial officer Joe NeCastro said that most of its renewal negotiations are over.
