Complex sentence: On December 31, Sinclair and Mediacom agreed to an extension of the retransmission contract until January 8,2010, thus averting a blackout of the Orange Bowl on Mediacom systems; a week later, the two sides agreed to a one-year retransmission agreement.
Split into simpler sentences: On December 31, Sinclair and Mediacom agreed to an extension of the retransmission contract until January 8,2010 thus averting a blackout of the Orange Bowl on Mediacom systems. A week later, the two sides agreed to a one-year retransmission agreement.