TV/Cable News

On June 15, William Binnie agreed to a deal that hands one of the nation's leading Hispanic media companies a channel-sharing agreement for a UHF station that relinquished its spectrum in the FCC's Incentive Auction. The deal was granted by the Commission on Sept. 27. However, two months prior to that NCTA-The Internet & Television Association filed comments taking to task the transfer of must-carry rights from a station that's disappearing to its channel-sharing partner before the CSA has started. Media Bureau Video Division Chief Barbara Kreisman just ruled on the matter.

If you're getting your television channels from AT&T U-Verse and live in either Chattanooga, Tenn., or Reno, Nev., you're missing out on one of your local stations. Effective 2pm Pacific on Tuesday, the CBS affiliate in Silver State's second city and the NBC affiliate serving River City were removed from U-Verse lineups in the respective markets. Why? It's the result of yet another impasse over a new retransmission fee agreement.

A Columbus, Ohio-based media company operated by the Wolfe family since 1929 is taking advantage of the FCC's recently struck media cross-ownership ban by seeking its OK to shuffle ownership of its three TV properties from a trio of individual licensees.

Technology is fueling an evolution for TV, and broadcasters have much to look forward to in the coming years. But, what can consumers expect from broadcast TV in 2018? For Videa President Shereta Williams, the answer can be found within the "clear change" seen during the last few weeks of 2017 that will foreshadow how consumers will interact with broadcast TV in the new year — as well as how the broadcasters themselves look at their future. 

This ain't no Hispanic reboot of The Love Boat. There's a new prime-time reality series set to debut Jan. 7 at 8pm Eastern on Univision Communications' flagship Univision network. While it is set to offer Spanish speakers a "big surprise," the biggest surprise for broadcast TV's C-Suite is perhaps the level of product integration and branding opportunities Univision is delivering for its partner on the show. What can you learn from this unique extra ROI partnership?

In 2017, despite a continued decline in traditional Pay TV subscriptions, there are "some signs of trouble in the new order." What does that mean? According to a new study from PwC, consumers may have maxed out on the number of over-the-top (OTT) services they can realistically pay for.

On Tuesday, RBR+TVBR reported on the sale of a full-power UHF facility licensed to Lewiston, Maine, to ION Media Networks. Now, the seller is making it clear that the station's current programming will live on. Here are the exclusive details on this MyNetwork TV affiliate.

On Sept. 11, investors weren't so sure about the growth trajectory of Nexstar Media Group. It was nine months since the company closed on its $4.6 billion acquisition of Media General, a deal struck in September 2015. It was also a period where scrutiny over Sinclair Broadcast Group's planned merger with Tribune Media increased in volume -- and five weeks before Tribune stockholders overwhelmingly approved the merger. Nexstar shares sat at $57.80. Today, they are at a record high.

With Thursday's news that The Walt Disney Co. and 21st Century FOX have struck a deal that will give the parent of ABC control of 23 FOX Sports-branded regional cable networks and create a "new FOX" housing its broadcast TV O&Os, one may wonder if this will impact -- positively or negatively -- the brokerage community. For Media Services Group Managing Director Eddie Esserman, the answer is no. He also said just hours before a two-week vacation that his phone has been ringing a lot -- and that's unusual, and positive.

The question of whether the Commission should modify, retain or eliminate the 39% national audience reach cap and/or its reinstated "UHF Discount" used by broadcast TV to calculate compliance with the cap will now be put to the public. The FCC said yes to an NPRM that, Republican Commissioners note, won't do anything but ask the question of whether changes should be made. However, such changes are all but certain, Democrats warn.

The Commission on Thursday has given its approval to a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that explores ways to enable multichannel video programming distributors, such as cable and satellite providers, to communicate with their subscribers in more efficient and less costly ways. 

The worst-kept secret in the global broadcasting business was formally revealed on Thursday morning before the Opening Bell on Wall Street and in midday trading on the FTSE in London. The Walt Disney Company and Twenty-First Century Fox have entered into a definitive agreement for Disney to acquire 21st Century Fox, including the Twentieth Century Fox Film and Television studios, along with cable and international TV businesses, for approximately $52.4 billion in stock -- and a total value of $66.1 billion. What does this mean for FOX O&Os and the U.S. broadcast TV industry? 

Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas, TV broadcasters: bullies that use their market power to force small and medium-sized cable operators into lopsided deals that hurt consumers. That's how American Cable Association members view the owners of broadcast TV stations, according to a new survey on "retransmission consent negotiations with corporate broadcasters" conducted by the Pittsburgh-based lobbying group. Of course, there are two sides to every story, and we've got an RBR+TVBR Observation on this hot topic.

Wall Street wordsmith and respected financial analyst Brian Wieser has just concluded a review of weekly national TV viewing trends for both news and sports based upon live+same-day viewing data made available on Tuesday. Why? The two genres together accounted for 22% of all national TV viewing last year, and are "the key programming genres for which this quickly available data is useful for purposes of analysis, certainly when compared with dramas and comedies," he notes. What does this mean for your broadcast stations?