TV/Cable News

In the radio industry, investment in eSports is nothing new. Beasley Media Group even owns a franchise in Houston. It now appears broadcast television companies harbor a similar interest in a segment of the sporting world that continues to explode in growth and has withstood the COVID-19 pandemic with flying colors. Pop artist Post Malone is involved.

Here's a transaction that will likely raise eyebrows: TEGNA's CBS affiliate serving Tampa Bay, along with two properties in Maine, are being transferred to a new licensee. No, TEGNA isn't selling the three TV stations. Rather, it's doing some internal housekeeping, and the paperwork shows that a dissident shareholder is still very much a key investor in TEGNA.

A special meeting of Comscore Inc. shareholders is now over. And, the results of the Tuesday event are now known. It's good news for one of America's biggest MVPDs and internet service providers.

DISH has embarked on a big business initiative that's designed to shift it away from strictly offering direct broadcast satellite TV services that, quite often, do not offer consumers every local channel due to its retransmission consent negotiation tactics. It involves 5G, and DISH just took another step toward achieving that goal.

The E.W. Scripps Company has agreed to broadcast a commercial-free special across its local stations next week in a move it hopes will "spark a national dialogue around implicit bias while advancing conversations at the local level in the 41 markets where it operates."

It was developed to help entertainment providers improve content discovery and viewership KPIs on their platforms. Introducing "Personalized Imagery," a Gracenote platform the Nielsen-owned entity says brings linear and streaming TV providers the ability to display program images capturing different aspects of a TV show or movie based on viewer consumption.

On Nov. 5, 2020, Meredith Corp. revealed that it had propelled strongly into Q1 2021. On February 4, the multimedia company with a local TV station group sat it enjoyed a strong fiscal Q2 2021 boost for those properties thanks to a political dollar windfall. Do investors believe the fiscal Q3 for Meredith will be even bigger, given the company's Tuesday stock performance?

The "only programming network dedicated to the active adventure lifestyle in the United States" is saying goodbye to a low-power analog TV station it owns in the Reno, Nevada DMA. The buyer? The entity that now controls the brand associated with this over-the-air station that in 2003 successfully won a carriage complaint against Charter Communications.

Nielsen and Roku have formed a "strategic alliance" that will see, via a long-term agreement, the integration of Nielsen ad and content products into the Roku platform. Nielsen “Always-On” Digital Ad Ratings, the ratings giant says, "will help standardize ad measurement of smart TVs and CTV devices." Roku can also see added benefit from Nielsen Total Ad Ratings.

She's been General Manager of Horizon Media's Century City-based operation since 2012 and joined the ad buying giant in October 2009. In her time at Horizon, she was responsible for a diverse portfolio of client business including Corona Beer, Jack in the Box, STX and ABC. Today, the media and advertising worlds are mourning the loss of Serena Duff.

Thursday evening's big headline across business media was AT&T's revelation that it will sell a 30% stake in its satellite and terrestrial video services provider business, inclusive of DirecTV. The entity grabbing the stake: TPG Capital. For Moody's Investors Service, this is a credit positive move for AT&T.

Gray Television isn't the only broadcast TV company to greatly benefit from boffo political advertising revenue in the final three months of 2020. The owner of such stations as NBC affiliate WDIV-4 in Detroit and CBS affiliate WKMG-6 in Orlando enjoyed a big revenue increase in Q4 for its television broadcasting division. The reason: A big political revenue gain.

Maine cable TV subscribers were in a rather unique situation when it came to not only the channels they wanted -- but also the individual shows they desired. It was part of an a package designed by the state government that a district court tossed. Now, a federal appeals court has upheld that decision.

Heading into last night’s ViacomCBS’ Streaming Investor Day, MoffettNathanson's clients had two basic questions. "At least now we have some clarity around the first question," Senior Analyst Michael Nathanson and Analyst Robert Fishman noted Thursday, following a three-hour affair that offered a detailed look at the newly rebranded Paramount+ offering.

Until now, the Northern Virginia-based broadcast TV station owner once known as Gannett has been largely known for owned-and-operated stations including the CBS affiliate serving the Nation's Capital and two digital multicast networks. Now, True Crime Network and Quest are getting a sibling. And, it's putting its focus on women -- and perhaps LGBT audiences, too.