A 2005 episode of "Iron Chef America" pitted Bobby Flay,...

A 2005 episode of "Iron Chef America" pitted Bobby Flay, left, against challenger Rick Bayless on Food Network. Credit: Food Network

And just like that, Cablevision and Scripps -- owner of the Food Network and HGTV -- have made up.

The networks were added back to the cable system's lineup Thursday afternoon, ending a bitter three-week standoff that played out on TV screens and in trade ads as each side accused the other of bad faith and a cavalier approach to fans and customers.

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Terms of the new deal were not disclosed. Cablevision said the channels were pulled by their parent company on Jan. 1 after an impasse in negotiations on a so-called subscriber affiliate fee -- what Scripps pays to Cablevision for each subscriber.

In a statement at the time, Cablevision, owner of Newsday, said Scripps was demanding a "200 percent fee increase" while Scripps insisted its demands were reasonable and that it was seeking parity with other top-ranked networks.

According to Charlottesville, Va.-based SNLKagan, which follows the cable industry, the Food Network charged an estimated 8 cents on average for each cable subscriber in the U.S. able to see the channel -- 99.7 million homes (figures were not available for Cablevision). That figure is projected to rise to 10 cents this year. The median average per subscriber for HGTV is 13 cents, projected to rise to 14 cents. SNLKagan says the industry average is 26 cents -- boosted by the huge subscriber fees operators pay to ESPN ($4.10 per sub).

Cablevision declined to comment on terms of the new deal.

“We’d like to thank our customers for their patience and understanding as we worked with Scripps to reach an agreement that is fair,” said John Bickham, Cablevision’s president of Cable & Communications, in a statement.

John Lansing, president of Scripps' Scripps Networks operating division, said in a statement, “This is the resolution everyone wanted. Cablevision has been a valued distribution partner and we’re gratified that together we were able to reach a successful conclusion that will benefit their customers and viewers of our networks."

Here's the full press release: 

Cablevision Systems Corp. (NYSE: CVC) and Scripps Networks Interactive (NYSE: SNI) today announced that they have reached an agreement allowing for the return of Food Network and HGTV programming to Cablevision customers in the New York
Tri-State region beginning today.

Both companies noted that their primary focus throughout the process was to work as hard as possible to return Food Network and HGTV to Cablevision customers at the soonest possible date.

Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

“This is great news for all those television viewers in the New York Tri-State region who enjoy Food Network and HGTV,” said John Lansing, executive vice president of Scripps
Networks Interactive Inc. and president of the company’s Scripps Networks operating division.  “This is the resolution everyone wanted.  Cablevision has been a valued distribution partner and we’re gratified that together we were able to reach a successful conclusion that will benefit their customers and viewers of our networks."

“We’d like to thank our customers for their patience and understanding as we worked with Scripps to reach an agreement that is fair,” said John Bickham, Cablevision’s President of Cable & Communications.  “Food Network and HGTV have strong
and loyal followings and we are pleased that both channels are back where they belong on Cablevision and available to our customers in both standard-definition and free HD."

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