By Lillian Rizzo

Comcast Corp. and Byron Allen's production company reached an agreement to carry the black media mogul's cable channels on the cable giant's system, subsequently putting an end to a five-year racial-discrimination lawsuit.

The settlement comes as the country has erupted in protests for racial justice and police reform following the killing of George Floyd, a black man who died while being arrested by a white police officer in Minneapolis.

A person familiar with the matter said the discussions regarding the settlement began earlier this year, well before the current environment could play a role in the decision making.

Under the latest deal, of which financial terms weren't disclosed, Comcast will carry Comedy.TV, JusticeCentral.TV and Recipe.TV, and extend the agreement for the Weather Channel and 14 other broadcast stations.

Mr. Allen's Entertainment Studios Networks filed a $20 billion lawsuit in 2015 after Comcast decided not to carry its cable channels. The company, solely owned by Mr. Allen, alleged that racial discrimination was behind the decision made by the cable giant.

The lawsuit, which made its way to the Supreme Court, was filed under Reconstruction era law giving "the same right" to contract "as is enjoyed by white citizens," and alleged Comcast wouldn't carry the channels because they are fully owned by an African American.

Philadelphia-based Comcast denied such allegations, and has pointed to a history of carrying channels owned mostly or substantially by African-Americans, such as Black Entertainment Television, founded by African-American Robert Johnson and later sold to Viacom in 2001; Magic Johnson's Aspire; and Sean "Diddy" Combs's music channel, Revolt TV.

Comcast had earlier argued the case should be dismissed given insufficient evidence that the channels were rejected because of Mr. Allen's race.

In March, the Supreme Court said in a unanimous decision that Entertainment Studios Network would have to do more to show Comcast's decision was racially charged.

At the time, Comcast said it was "proud of our record on diversity and will not rest on this record," while Mr. Allen called the ruling "harmful to the civil rights of millions of Americans."

Mr. Allen, previously a comedian, founded Entertainment Studios in 1993, and has built up a portfolio of cable networks since then. In 2018, the company acquired the Weather Channel from Comcast and private-equity firms Blackstone Group LP and Bain Capital for $300 million. At the time, Mr. Allen said the acquisition was separate from the continuing litigation with Comcast.

Earlier this week, Comcast said it would spend $100 million "to fight injustice and inequality against any race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation or ability," in addition to any other longstanding commitments the company has made to other organizations.

"We know that Comcast alone can't remedy this complex issue," Chief Executive Brian Roberts said earlier this week in an email to employees. "But you have my commitment that our company will try to play an integral role in driving lasting reform."