Washington ? Ending a fee dispute that left millions of DISH satellite television customers without several popular channels, EchoStar Communications Corp. agreed early today on a new contract with CBS parent Viacom Inc.

EchoStar pulled the plug on Viacom programming Tuesday, leaving up to 9 million DISH Network viewers nationwide without Viacom channels including MTV, VH1, Comedy Central, BET and Nickelodeon.

The dispute also left as many as 2 million DISH subscribers without CBS shows when EchoStar pulled the network’s programing in cities including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Miami, Boston, Denver, Minneapolis and Dallas.