LOS ANGELES (The Hollywood Reporter)–A federal judge has denied EchoStar’s request for a preliminary injunction against Viacom that would have prevented Viacom from pulling its broadcast and cable signals from EchoStar’s Dish Network satellite TV service.
Judge Claudia Wilken of the U.S. District Court in Oakland, Calif., did, however, grant a 10-day extension to a restraining order against Viacom and indicated that EchoStar had grounds to proceed with an antitrust lawsuit.
EchoStar and Viacom have been locked in license-fee negotiations over CBS-owned broadcast TV stations and Viacom cable outlets, including MTV, VH1 and Nickelodeon. Wilken issued a TRO last month that barred Viacom from stopping transmission of its signals to EchoStar.
Elaborating on her decision to deny the injunction, Wilken said EchoStar would not suffer “irreparable” damages. However, she held out the option for EchoStar to collect monetary damages of some quantity after a carriage deal is reached.
EchoStar sued Viacom following the Dec. 31 expiration of its most recent carriage agreements with Viacom.
