Weather Channel and DirecTV Reach a Deal

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Weather Channel CEO David Kenny

The three-month blackout comes to an end on Wednesday, as the network gets a small increase in compensation and the provider guarantees afternoons will be free of reality shows.

The stormy relationship between DirecTV and the Weather Channel has cleared.

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Weather Channel will return to the satellite provider on Wednesday, after being off the service since late mid-January. The break was followed by advertising and press releases in which the two sides blasted each other for their positions.

After several weeks of behind the scenes talks, DirecTV has agreed to a small increase in the subscriber fees it pays for the channel (currently around 13 cents per month per subscriber, according to SNL Kagan), said a source. DirecTV, with about 20 million subscribers, had originally sought to reduce the amount it paid.

The Weather Channel, for its part, has agreed to move a block of afternoon reality programming to the evening, and guarantees the day time will now be dedicated to live weather-related programming.

As part of the pact, DirecTV subscribers will now be able to watch The Weather Channel’s video programming on smart phones, tablets and other devices at home or when they are traveling about.

Weather Channel has been trying to revamp its programming recently to add more appointment programming – including reality shows. It also recently added a morning show with former Good Morning America anchor Sam Champion, which got off to a rocky start in the ratings.

“Our apologies to DirecTV and their customers for the disruption of our service and for initiating a public campaign,” said Weather Company CEO David Kenny in a statement. “Our viewers deserve better than a public dispute and we pledge to reward their loyalty with exceptional programming and more weather focused news.”

“It’s a shame these disputes are played out on a public stage,” said Dan York, DairecTV’s chief content officer, “but I’m pleased that we’ve been able to work together with The Weather Channel in a way that will benefit everyone. I know this was frustrating for many of our customers but their patience was ultimately reward with a better product.”

DirecTV will now also carry WeatherNation , which it had used to replace The Weather Channel. A week ago DirecTV announced a long-term deal to carry WeatherNation.

The Weather Channel is owned by a group that includes NBC Universal (Comcast) and private equity firms Blackstone Group and Bain Capital.