Tentative Charter Deal Buys Viacom Turnaround Time, Credit Suisse Analyst Says

Charter Communications and Viacom's announcement this week they reached a tentative carriage agreement gives Viacom CEO Robert Bakish "breathing room" for his turnaround strategy and also is a vote of confidence in the value of Viacom's networks to MVPDs, Credit Suisse's Omar Sheikh emailed investors Wednesday. The deal, when finalized, likely will include full carriage of Viacom networks, though Charter might enjoy a reduction in its affiliate rate, the analyst said.