TV/Cable News

A merger with Gray Television is coming, but that hasn't stopped Raycom Media from doing business as usual, and signing new contracts with important vendors.

Nielsen has a new deal with Hearst Television. It has a relatively new CEO. Yet, its share price continues to sag. On Thursday, Nielsen stock dipped to a fresh five-year low.

The holiday cheer may soon to jeers for cable TV subscribers in a host of towns including St. George, Utah. While these locales may be small in size, over-the-air signals may not be present, making MVPDs essential for viewing network television. Thus, the situation for Nexstar Media Group is a thorny one, as it is involved in yet another retransmission fee dispute.

Uh-oh ... its Retrans Season. That's not good news for Charter Spectrum subscribers who watch Tribune Broadcasting TV stations in 24 markets. Talks on a new retransmission fee agreement aren't going well, and a "blackout" could soon be seen in markets as large as New York and Los Angeles.

It appears the buying and selling of radio stations, something Univision Radio is said to still be considering despite numerous reports to the contrary, isn't the only thing being chatted about over cafecito across Miami. Univision's Gizmodo Media Group apparently lacks a suitable suitor.

Nearly 55 years ago, cable television was in hyper-growth mode. Robert Searle helped bring the stories surrounding the industry to the nation by producing "TV Communications" and "CATV Weekly." In 1966, he created the first NCTA Show. He also owned cable TV systems until 2000 through Searle Communications. Searle died earlier this month.

One of the biggest issues that continues to negatively impact digital advertising is the lack of end-to-end transparency on the buy- and sell-sides about the true effectiveness of ad campaigns. This trend will only continue to compound, says Videa SVP/Revenue & Operations Brad Smith, as more data sets are added to the ever complicated equation for success. 

While a recent Kentucky move will allow Ion Media to put an over-the-air signal over the state capital of Frankfort, the Florida-based broadcast TV company now wants to make a largely non-technical move in Tennessee.

Unlike Gray Television, Nielsen has a new deal with Hearst TV stations. It means Hearst will continue to use local electronic ratings across its local and national TV offerings, and PPM-based Audio Ratings in Baltimore, too.

Is the company that just denied a $120 million severance payment to former Chairman/CEO Les Moonves eyeing the ex-COO of The Walt Disney Co. as its next leader? That's what one publication is reporting.

The growth of live and on-demand streaming video content in the U.S. is well-documented. But, just how many consumers are consuming this content via an internet-powered delivery platform? A newly released research study says that, among all of its respondents, a majority are streaming content at least once a week via a smart TV or external streaming device.

Pivotal Research Group Senior Research Analyst for Advertising Brian Wieser and his team have analyzed trends associated with the use of TV alongside commercial share trends for national media owners through the end of November. What did they find?

More than nine months ago, a journalist who heads a U.S.-based television network targeting South Asian consumers acquired an Otter. Really. That deal involved a low-power television facility in Northern California that used the Otter name for its branding, prior to its sale. Now, the same buyer is grabbing an LD facility in a market home to a plethora of theme parks.

The managing director and senior equity research analyst for media, cable and telecom at a Wall Street financial house is saying goodbye to judging the financial performance of radio and TV companies. Instead, he will be responsible for "managing all treasury and banking activities and communicating TEGNA’s growth strategy."

ACA's push to get the FCC to do so continued Monday, with Reply Comments sent to the Commission noting that "Sinclair’s advocacy, if adopted, would shield if from any consequences for lying to the FCC during its attempted merger" with Tribune Media, now set to merge with Nexstar Media Group.