the HOT List

Paramount Global, the recently renamed ViacomCBS, has agreed to sell $1 billion in aggregate principal amount of 6.375% fixed-to-fixed rate junior subordinated debentures due 2062. The sale of the Debentures is expected to close on Tuesday (3/29), subject to customary closing conditions.

Schenectady, N.Y., is known in media lore as the birthplace of television, as it is home to first-ever TV station WRGB-6, owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group. With Sinclair in the driver's seat on the voluntary rollout of ATSC 3.0, it is therefore fitting that New York's Capital District is the latest locale to light up NEXTGEN TV broadcasts.

The Media Rating Council on Thursday provided an update on the current statuses of the Linear and Connected TV measurement services that are currently engaged in the MRC’s accreditation process. It arrives two days after NBCU effectively snubbed Nielsen data as Upfront currency in 2022.

"[It] is clear as day, looking at a two-year stack, that live sports and news are rising in importance and value to linear stake-holders," Wall Street analyst Michael Nathanson writes in a new investor note examining the evolution of visual media consumption in the U.S. But, is that the only key value point for consumers and marketers?

In its home market of San Jose, the station was ranked No. 1 with a 7.5 share. Now, the staff and management of the facility, the only FM airing Country music in the San Francisco Bay Area, can say they are going out with a bang. KRTY-FM has been sold.

In a transaction that sees Greg Guy of Patrick Communications serve as the broker, the parent company of the MeTV Network is adding a Class A low-power television station in Cleveland to its roster of owned properties.

YouTube TV appeared to have resolved a technical issue that for six days impacted its DISH-delivered local television service in such markets as Fort Wayne, Ind., and Youngstown, Ohio. But then, the outage resumed. Two Nexstar Media Group stations were among those impacted by technical issues.

NBCUniversal's One22 presentation yielded announcements across data and identity, ad tech, ad innovation, and measurement, with Linda Yaccarino, Chairman of Global Advertising and Partnerships, offering ad budget decision makers a lesson on "better understanding your audience and having a stronger impact on them — and measuring their engagement."

One week ago, Wall Street was abuzz over a report suggesting that Nielsen Holdings was nearing the end of negotiations with a consortium led by shareholder Elliott Management Corp. Late Sunday, Nielsen acknowledged the talks — and revealed it was saying no to the proposal. At the Closing Bell, Nielsen shares were down nearly 7%.

On Monday, RBR+TVBR offered coverage of a non-consummation of a July 2021 transaction that would have seen Falcone's group acquire a Phoenix LPTV property from Lotus Communications for $2 million. Now, he seeks to clarify the reason for the deal's dissolution: Not moving forward, he says, is his choice.

For some companies, retransmission consent revenue growth has outpaced core ad sales growth. What's a over-the-air TV station owner to do?  Look no further than ATSC 3.0, says Nexstar Media Group's founder, chairman and CEO.

With impression-based buying growing, the metric provides buyers and sellers with greater insight into what the delivered CPM is for linear TV for more than 100 advanced audiences, "enabling better cross-screen planning, audience-based targeting and advanced measurement for benchmarking against digital, CTV and OTT," Comscore says.

The public TV advocacy groups responded to a Second Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on authorizing permissive use of the NEXTGEN TV broadcast standard by urging the Commission to snub any of the proposals set forth by NCTA or ATVA in the proceeding.

Both cable and broadcast news viewing in the U.S. spiked as Russia invaded Ukraine. However, total television viewing was down month-over-month. That's the key takeaway from newly released data from Nielsen.

Allen's companies, which include the parent of The Weather Channel and Entertainment Studios, plus broadcast TV station owner Allen Media Group, are seeking billions of dollars in damages from Nielsen, which is reportedly in the midst of buyout talks involving shareholder Elliott Management.