TV/Cable News

With much fanfare, Samsung and LG on Thursday each unveiled the first new televisions to feature the new 8K format. But, are consumers hungry enough to make a purchase now? While limited content is one issue, the other may come down to price.

Saying it’s vitally important information for marketers to gauge total audience, Nielsen has announced the out-of-home (OOH) program types with the greatest pull. News and sports are strong for those watching TV at work, in a waiting room, at a friend’s home, and so on. But an in-depth, year-to-date analysis of OOH TV viewing data from the Nielsen Total Audience framework shows that other genres benefit as well.

In a filing submitted Monday, the American Cable Association (ACA) has told the FCC that the Gray-Raycom merger will drive cable and satellite TV rates up. The Association says that if the $3.65 billion merger with Raycom Media Inc. goes through, Gray Television Inc.’s ownership of 124 stations in 92 markets will give Gray more bargaining leverage over MVPDs in retransmission talks.

According to attribution analytics company C3 Metrics, Wednesday night is the surprise time for TV advertisers to get the most bang for their buck, with Thursdays a close second. Sunday nights still get the biggest audiences, but don’t provide the best advertising value for a variety of reasons.

The network is taking its first dive into the sports gambling world. Called Lock It In, the daily show will feature host Rachel Bonnetta, “Cousin Sal” Iacono, Clay Travis, and Oddsmaker Todd Fuhrman. The show will premiere Monday, September 10, 4:30 to 5:30pm ET. The announcement was made by Mark Silverman, President, National Networks, FOX Sports.

Reliability, familiarity, comfort, convenience. These are the main reasons given for why many U.S. consumers still aren’t cutting the cable cord, New Cord Evolution research shows. But that will likely change with the generations.

National Amusements, a company run by 95-year-old billionaire media magnate Sumner Redstone, and his daughter Shari, is the controlling shareholder of both CBS and Viacom. The Redstones have sought to merge CBS and Viacom. CBS is fighting the proposed merger. That’s the back-story of a high-stakes corporate soap opera. Here’s the latest episode.

On Monday, the American Cable Association filed comments regarding Gray Television’s proposed purchase of Raycom Media. Upon closing of the deal (and after divestitures), Gray would own 124 television stations, 62 of which are ranked first in all-day Nielsen ratings in their local markets, which would be the highest number of top-ranked television stations owned by any broadcaster.

Following allegations that appeared in The New Yorker, CBS Corp. and its CEO Les Moonves are facing a class action lawsuit from shareholders. The complaint, filed Monday, states that the defendants made false and/or misleading statements, and/or failed to disclose four separate things of consequence.

Chairman Pai may have received the official OK from the Inspector General regarding the FCC’s dealings with Sinclair Broadcast Group, but it seems not everyone on the Hill is totally convinced. Energy and Commerce Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), for example.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai wasted no time issuing a statement on Monday regarding the Inspector General’s report on the FCC’s dealings with Sinclair Broadcast Group. That’s because the report contained good news for the chairman.

That sound you hear is advertising giant GEICO being bumped from its familiar No. 1 position in the cable Spot Ten, according to the latest Media Monitors chart. JC Penney leapfrogs the auto insurer to take the top rung.

Top gun TV advertiser GEICO has been knocked off its perch for the week ending August 26. The auto insurer has dropped from the No. 1 position to No. 5 this week, airing 19,889 ads, according to Media Monitors.

Some good news for TV, according to the new Poynter Media Trust Survey: Trust in news is up — especially for local media. This bucks a decades-long trend, as well as President Trump’s refrain of “fake news.”

Reuters is reporting that the two companies have reached a deal that will see Comcast continue to carry the Big Ten college conference, including all games on Fox’s sports channel FS1. Financial terms of the renewal agreement weren’t disclosed under the deal announced Friday.