TV/Cable News

Sinclair Broadcast Group shares dipped again on Wednesday, as investors learned of RBR+TVBR's exclusive report that a $65 million sale of KPLR-11 in St. Louis to Meredith Corp. has been derailed by the U.S. Department of Justice. Meredith stock was also down.

In a move designed to give DISH-owned "skinny bundle" Sling TV "over the top" (OTT) TV service an added boost, a new device that brings together live internet streams and free local TV has been brought to market. The product is marketed with the tag line, "Cut the cord with AirTV and watch TV on your terms."

U.S. financial markets were largely down on Tuesday, but Sinclair Broadcast Group and Tribune Media each fell following RBR+TVBR's report that the intended $65 million sale of a TV station it is divesting was scrubbed by the U.S. Department of Justice. The intended buyer's stock was also down.

Pivotal Research Group Senior Research Analyst of Advertising Brian Wieser has analyzed trends associated with the use of television alongside commercial share trends for national media owners in the U.S. for the calendar month of April 2018. What did he find? Viewing on internet-connected devices surged.

Friday, June 1, will be the final day that The E.W. Scripps Co. will see its stock bought and sold on the New York Stock Exchange. Come Monday, June 4, the company's shares will be on a different exchange. For investors, Scripps hopes the shift will be seamless and transparent -- the company's ticker symbol is staying as is.

An Upper Midwest market is not the only place where Quincy Media seeks to create a duopoly, thanks to the FCC's loosening of the ownership caps for TV station owners. The Illinois-based company has also asked the Commission for its OK to take over a station from SagamoreHill in the Hoosier State.

"The Biggest Night in Latin Music" is a registered trademark. In fact, it's so big and important to one leading Hispanic media company that it just had a FOMO moment -- a new agreement will keep the Latin GRAMMY Awards on the Univision network for years to come.

With more and more TV viewers embracing "over-the-top" (OTT) choices for entertainment, sports and informational programming, the need for broadcast TV stations to have their original content everywhere is more essential than ever. To help bring this goal to fruition, a New York-based company has unveiled an online and digital platform that aggregates local TV news and, at the same time, enables local broadcasters to build OTT channels on a new app.

FCC Commissioner Michael O'Rielly has said a lot about the need to overhaul the nation's children’s educational programming rules. Now, a Democratic Senator from Massachusetts has just emerged as O'Rielly's No. 1 opponent on "KidVid" rules, which O'Rielly wants the full Commission to review by the end of 2018.

One Republican FCC Commissioner has a thing or to to say about the legion of detractors who oppose Sinclair Broadcast Group's merger with Tribune Media -- triggered by the restoration of the "UHF discount" ahead of a wholesale review by the Commission of its ownership caps. Michael O'Rielly put his words to paper -- or blog, as is more customary in 2018.

Here's the good news for traditional cable TV service providers: Traditional MVPD losses in Q1 showed "modest improvement" over the same period in 2017. But, that's no cue for joyous dancing for the MVPDs of the U.S., says S&P Global Market Intelligence.

How does Meredith Corp. feels about the legacy of Time Inc., now that it owns and has integrated all of the brands associated with the once-mighty publishing company? A Thursday rebranding of Time Inc. Productions clearly answers that question.

Not convinced that Netflix is set to trample all over Upfront Week in the years to come, wreaking havoc on the ad-buying process for TV? New research finds some 28 million subscribers will be added in 2018 – making it the largest growth year ever. North American growth isn't the only fuel to Netflix's fire.

Nielsen has taken advantage of its recent acquisition of Gracenote from Tribune Media by moving forward on an endeavor designed to "enhance the experience for TV viewers who use new Virtual Multichannel Video Programming Distributor (vMVPD) services."

An affiliate of Ion Media Networks uses one digital channel for two of its stations serving the Providence-New Bedford, R.I.-Mass., TV market. It is now asking the FCC to amend its DTV Table of Allotments and delete the channel from one city in Rhode Island, while substituting it for another station in the state.