the HOT List

TV and broadband behemoth Comcast Corporation has decided to renew its deal with media measurement titan Nielsen, in spite of its past reservations. This updated multi-year agreement allows Nielsen to continue licensing Comcast's proprietary return path data, which is significant for several reasons.

Certain low-power television stations have, since the 1980s, offered local radio content that could be accessed at the lower end of the FM dial. Now the FCC has issued a decision on whether that will continue in the digital TV era.

The second quarter 2023 financial results from Netflix arrived just after Wednesday's closing bell on Wall Street. Here's the good news: It blew past analysts' forecasts on net additions in Q2, but fell short on revenue. Still, adjusted net revenue for the OTT giant surpassed analysts' predictions.

An agreement apparently reached in principle between Hawaiian Telcom and Nexstar Media Group to resolve a retransmission consent impasse was not finalized because, the MVPD says, it was presented "with new demands — to waive its claims that Nexstar acted in bad faith."

Nexstar Media Group has been ordered by a New York state-level court to repay direct broadcast satellite TV services provider DirecTV for fees associated with what is today an unaffiliated TV station branded as "DC News Now."

Local broadcast stations that are members of the ABC, NBC, FOX and CBS television Affiliate Associations, representing more than 600 local TV stations across the country, have launched an advocacy group with one mission in mind — to urge lawmakers and regulators "to act now to protect the future of local news in America." The real story: It wants Congress to mandate retrans consent fees from streamers.

Broadcast media’s most prestigious leadership conference, Forecast 2024, is pleased to announce the conference chairs. The 21st annual Forecast, presented by Radio Ink and the Radio +  Television Business Report, will be held at the Harvard Club in the City of New York on Wednesday, November 15.

The top-rated Spanish-language radio brand serving California's capital region is about to gain an additional on-air home, as Lotus Communications is buying a Class B1 FM that some 25 years ago pioneered programming to Latinos.

That's the big news from iSpot, which has released its First Half TV Transparency Report reflecting advertising activity at television through June 30, 2023.  Based on its research, household TV ad impressions — a.k.a. the total audience reached by ads — climbed by 5.0% year-over-year.

Bob Iger, the Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Co., said Thursday on CNBC that the company's entire stable of television assets may be "non-core." That got Madison and Wall media business financial analyst Brian Wieser thinking. Here's what he thinks.

After problems surrounding a delayed disclosure of Urban One's 2022 earnings, the company is changing accounting firms. Urban One had been using BDO, but after a mishap around the accounting on MGM National Harbor profits, they are moving to Ernst and Young.

The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) extended its "unwavering support and solidarity" for SAG-AFTRA Members who on Thursday authorized a strike. Just don't include certain employees at an NBC affiliate owned by Sinclair Inc. in the mix of those that wanted a potentially crippling work stoppage.

That said, there were plenty of "no" votes from Republicans and Democrats for Anna Gómez, who seeks the fifth and vacant FCC Commissioner's chair, and for incumbent Commissioners Brendan Carr and Geoffrey Starks.

Audacy Corp. has confirmed that it has initiated discussions with its lenders to refinance its debt and "optimize" the company's balance sheet — something the company says it "previously stated we intended to do." A group of senior leaders has hired one noted law firm, while a group of second-lien bondholders has engaged another nationally known law practice.

For the last two years, she has served as SVP/GM of KCPQ "FOX 13" and sibling KZJO "JOEtv" in Seattle. Now, the 21-year FOX Television Stations leader who has been overseeing the company's two properties in the Pacific Northwest's biggest market is heading to the Windy City.