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Viacom Inc. said an impasse in contract talks with DirecTV is costing almost 20 million subscribers access to 26 channels, including MTV, Nickelodeon and Comedy Central. DirecTV dropped the channels late Tuesday when two sides couldn’t reach a new fee agreement, New York-based Viacom said in a blog post. There was no word on whether the companies would continue negotiating. “We are hopeful that DirecTV will work with us toward a resolution, and stop denying its subscribers access to the networks they watch most,” Viacom said.

After a bad couple of weeks clunkily extracting Ann Curry as co-host of its morning infotainment show, NBC News found itself dealing with another unpleasant personnel report this week: David Gregory is on his way out as host of the network’s Sunday Beltway show, “Meet the Press.”

The escalating war between ABC and CBS over their respective fame-seeking-narcissists-live-in-totally-wired-house series now threatens to consume both networks’ date-to-mate reality series. In the latest development, CBS has been compelled to move the unveiling of its new reality dating series, “3,” to July 29 — after learning of ABC’s plan to attack “3’s” originally scheduled July 22 launch by moving its season finale of “The Bachelorette” to that same Sunday night.

Andy Griffith died this morning at his North Carolina home, reports WITN-TV. The TV icon’s death was confirmed by Bill Friday, a close friend and a former president at the University of North Carolina. He was 86 years old. His cause of death has yet to be released, but he suffered from heart problems and quadruple-bypass surgery a decade ago.

Anderson Cooper has, at long last, publicly said he is gay. Cooper made the announcement in an email to writer Andrew Sullivan. "The fact is, I'm gay, always have been, always will be, and I couldn’t be any more happy, comfortable with myself, and proud," he wrote.

CBS, NBC and Fox will face Dish in court starting Monday over its commercial-skipping feature AutoHop, which works on TV network programs recorded on DVRs.

In addition to a tribute to Whitney Houston, the BET Awards show features Chris Brown, D'Angelo, Kanye West, Jay-Z, Beyonce, Nicki Minaj and host Samuel L. Jackson. During Sunday's live telecast of the 2012 BET Awards, anticipation reigned, with questions filling Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium.

Anger Management ranked as cable’s most-watched primetime scripted comedy series premiere in total viewers and 18-49, eclipsing Tyler Perry’s House Of Payne on TBS, which opened with a 5.2 million. Like House Of Payne, which grew to 5.8 million for the second episode of its two-episode premiere, Anger Management gained too, averaging 5.74 million total viewers and 2.89 million adults 18-49s for its 9:30 PM episode.

Simon Cowell is making a bold bet Britney Spears and Demi Lovato will increase viewers and propel the second season of Fox’s reality competition, X Factor, into a ratings hit. Before a single episode of the British import aired in the US last fall, Cowell, its creator and executive producer, predicted it would draw 20 million viewers and best American Idol, Cowell’s former series.

She confirmed in the interview that the exit was NBC’s idea, not her own, and said she considered leaving the network altogether. Instead, she has accepted a proposal to become a roving correspondent for the network. Although co-hosting “Today” was her dream job, she said, “In my secret heart of hearts, I see this as a thrilling opportunity. To have a ticket to every big story in the world — no small matter.”