NOT WITH A BANG, BUT A WHIMPER

“It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”

Even Shakespeare knew 600-odd years ago what a crock the recurring war between content providers and cable/satellite deliverers really is

Oh sure, Shakespeare was having Macbeth comment on the death of Lady Macbeth – but it applies here.

DirecTV said all along it was a carriage dispute and nothing more.

At the end of two months of endless interviews with politicians eager to curry favor with a little-watched cable outfit, promising boycotts, the threat of congressional hearings….CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS!!!!….and dire invocations warning of the trampling of the First Amendment, Newsmax and DirecTV are friends again.

Partners.

Newsmax is back on DirecTV.

Today.

Now, terms of the deal were not disclosed by either side because it is none of your damned business – the only thing you need to know is your DirecTV bill will NOT go up.

Which means either Newsmax didn’t get anywhere close to the $13 million it was demanding from DirecTV or DirecTV is going to eat the retrans fee.

Stop laughing.

Let’s hear some kissy sounds.

“Newsmax recognizes and appreciates that DirecTV clearly supports diverse voices, including conservative ones,” Newsmax CEO Ruddy kvelled in a press release announcing the new deal. “As a standalone company, DirecTV helped give Newsmax its start nearly a decade ago as it continues to do with upcoming news networks, which is why we are pleased to reach a mutually beneficial agreement.”

“This resolution with Newsmax, resolving an all-too-common carriage dispute, underscores our dedication to delivering a wide array of programming and perspectives to all our customers,” gushed Bill Morrow, DirecTV’s CEO, in a statement. “Through our persistent negotiations, we reached a resolution under mutually-agreeable business terms.”

Awwww….so sweet.

Kinda chokes you up. Or is that gagging?

So for the true believers – it is now safe to subscribe to DirecTV and buy AT&T products.