Dish Network settles lawsuit with Cablevision, AMC

NEW YORK Oct 21 (Reuters) - Dish Network, the nation's third largest pay-TV provider, has settled its four-year old lawsuit filed by Cablevision and AMC Networks over a high definition channel package, according to statements from the companies released on Sunday.

Voom HD Holdings, a former unit of Cablevision, had sued Dish Network for $2.4 billion in damages alleging it violated a 15-year contract to carry a suite of high-definition programming, which included channels devoted to Kung Fu and video games. Dish pulled out these channels in 2008. Voom is now a part of AMC Networks.

Under the deal, Dish will pay a cash settlement of $700 million to Cablevision and AMC, according to a statement from Cablevision. Some $80 million of that cash settlement would be for the purchase of Cablevision's multichannel video and data distribution service (MVDDS) licenses in 45 metropolitan areas in the United States.

Dish will also enter into a long-term distribution agreement with AMC Networks to carry AMC, IFC, Sundance Channel and WE tv, and with The Madison Square Garden Company to carry Fuse on its satellite service.