Echostar v. Viacom: the fight goes on

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A temporary restraining order in the ongoing EchoStar/Viacom programming carriage fight was extended for abother 10 days by a California federal court, a move that will keep Viacom networks on DISH Network and both sides of the battle working on the case for at least another week.

Viacom said in a statement it was "delighted that Judge Wilken has ruled against EchoStar in its attempt to use the courts to avoid good faith negotiations. Viacom has acted in accordance with established industry practice, FCC and Congressional guidance and all applicable antitrust requirements, and if EchoStar continues to sue, we are confident that we will prevail at any trial."

EchoStar said in a statement: "We are pleased that after looking at the evidence, Judge Wilken stated at (Friday's) hearing that EchoStar has a substantial likelihood of prevailing on the antitrust merits of this case. The judge also indicated that EchoStar's monetary damages could be substantial and Viacom could be liable for treble damages."