DirecTV Will Carry CBS Programming

DirecTV Inc. and Viacom Inc. agreed to provide CBS-TV station programming to DirecTV customers in big U.S. cities such as Los Angeles, New York and Houston. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. DirecTV, a unit of Hughes Electronics Corp., said it also will carry Viacom’s MTV Network stations, including Noggin, an interactive network for children from Nickelodeon, and the Children’s Television Workshop, starting June 1. DirecTV, with about 8.5 million subscribers, is expanding its offering of TV programs with passage of a federal law in November that allows satellite-TV companies to offer local programming. Under the agreement, Viacom will allow DirecTV to retransmit 16 CBS stations’ programming within DirecTV’s local markets. New York-based Viacom completed its purchase of CBS earlier this month. Shares of El Segundo-based Hughes, which trade as a separate class of General Motors Corp. shares, fell $2.38 to close at $89.88, Viacom’s Class B shares fell $1.25 to close at $58.63, both on the New York Stock Exchange.