TV/Cable News

What can investors expect to see during the first three months of 2019 from Gray Television? The company that has absorbed Raycom Media had much to say on Thursday. Here's all you need to know, in its entirety.

With a challenging year behind it, Nielsen appears to have turn a corner with its financial health -- at least, based on what its final three months of 2018 look like. Revenue beat street estimates, and that pleased investors, sending Nielsen shares slightly upward in Thursday's trading.

According to eMarketer, there is excitement among those who control television advertising budgets about how the medium can catch up to digital and social on hypertargeted delivery of their messages. But, it notes, "while marketers are making headway with advanced TV, it’s early days with TV ad innovations."

"For the longest time, we have believed that public media companies provide earnings guidance at their own peril," says Michael Nathanson, Senior Analyst at MoffettNathanson. If the media industry is anything but stable right now, how does this impact Discovery Communications, in particular?

The cross-media advertising company has inked a multi-year renewal agreement with Nielsen for its TV ratings LPM service in one top-rated market. The continued arrangement encompasses Nielsen Scarborough national custom qualitative service as well as Nielsen Rhiza services.

Nexstar Media Group's Q4 report was released Tuesday morning, and the company that seeks to purchase Tribune Broadcasting missed Wall Street EPS predictions but exceed its revenue prognostication. Investors didn't care, sending NXST toward another record high.

The Parents Television Council has successfully lobbied the FCC in opening a public comment period that seeks input on "the accuracy of the television content rating systemand the ability of the governing body for TV ratings, the TV Parental Guidelines Oversight Monitoring Board, to oversee the ratings system and address public concerns."

Oh, look ... the end of February is almost here. You know what that means? Automotive dealer associations typically rev up their use of spot TV in the final days of a month to boost sales. February 2019 is no different. 

Spot cable remains a thriving medium for advertisers. Just look at the play counts, with GEICO a dominant No. 1 over two major competitors. What other brands are actively using cable?

Here's a session you can bet will be a hot topic for many radio industry financially focused C-Suiters. A comprehensive session on sports gambling and how this may impact broadcast media is on the agenda for Media Finance Management’s 2019 CFO Summit, set for early March in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

With Nexstar getting Tribune and the Apollo Group/Cox Enterprises operation set to get Nexstar's necessary divestments to win regulatory approval, what's up with Sinclair Broadcast Group? For one, its stock year-to-date is on a roll, recovering to levels last seen when its Tribune merger was still on track.

"Keen observers know that the FCC is in the midst of the 600 MHz band repack," says Chairman Ajit Pai. Hundreds of TV stations are shifting their transmission frequencies to make space for wireless services. The Commission's March Open Meeting will see a vote on a key matter tied to the repack.

With a 1-year target estimate now well above $100, investors are energized once again about Nexstar Media Group and its potential growth, once its likely acquisition of Tribune Broadcasting is complete and it spins stations -- with Apollo Group/Cox Enterprises' newly formed group taking them.

Whether you like it or not, broadcast media C-Suiters, the "smart TV" is capturing more homes than ever. Just how many homes are acquiring these internet-connected devices, allowing viewers to seamlessly view Netflix, Amazon Prime and other OTT services just as easy as a cable or over-the-air channel?

A new study by the ANA Educational Foundation concludes that recruiting and retaining racially diverse talent continues to vex marketers due to a disconnect between the resources invested in diversity initiatives and a lack of inclusiveness felt by diverse workers. Could media be suffering from similar challenges?