DENVER -- EchoStar Communications and Viacom have settled a fee dispute that had left millions of customers of EchoStar's DISH Network satellite service without several popular channels.

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EchoStar pulled the plug on Viacom programming Tuesday, including MTV, VH1 and Comedy Central. The dispute also left as many as 2 million DISH viewers without CBS shows in major cities including New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Chicago.

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DISH subscribers in those cities were threatened with the loss of the upcoming NCAA men's basketball tournament, which begins March 18 on CBS.

Financial terms of the new contract were not disclosed. It will add the Nicktoons channel to some DISH packages this spring.

"We apologize to our viewers for the disruption in their service, and want to thank them for their patience and support," Mel Karmazin, president and chief operating officer of Viacom, said in a statement Thursday.

Meanwhile, EchoStar has postponed its quarterly 10-K regulatory filing while it addresses some issues with the Securities and Exchange Commission. EchoStar said it may need to restate 2001 results.

Additional Resources:

• EchoStar
• Viacom