TV/Cable News

There's new research from Leichtman Research Group on the percentage of U.S. TV households that have at least one television set connected to the internet via a smart TV set, a stand-alone device, a gaming system, and/or a Blu-ray player. It's surging, and a vast majority of American homes now have connected TVs.

With its adaptation of the Margaret Atwood dystopian classic "The Handmaid's Tale" earning accolades -- and new consumers -- Hulu has leaped into the live TV streaming business with the launch of a new beta service and user experience now available to the public.

"Alexa, what's the news?" If you live in Cleveland, Nashville, or West Palm Beach, Amazon's voice-activated virtual assistant will turn to the local newsrooms of Channel 5, respectively. That's all thanks to a deal with The E.W. Scripps Co. that now connects its local newsrooms to the increasingly popular smart home device.

That's how Sinclair Broadcast Group Executive Chairman David Smith summarizes the state of his broadcast media company, which saw its Q1 total net revenue increase to $649.9 million, from $578.9 million, as its net income surged thanks to an 'Alarm' sale.

Coming July 1, kids will have a new choice to click with when it comes to programming geared just for them. In a late Tuesday announcement, Sinclair Broadcast Group unveiled its newest entry into the children's content arena with 'KidsClick.'

"Enhanced capabilities" with Nielsen's Social Content Ratings that support the analysis of owned activity and organic activity within the total social TV conversation have been rolled out by the audience measurement giant.

So much for that "UHF Discount." When it comes to UHF stations that participated in the just-completed FCC broadcast spectrum auction, they may as well have hit the jackpot at a slot machine at the Encore during the 2017 NAB Show in Las Vegas. An analysis of the Reverse Auction dollars shows that stations between channel 14 and channel 69 attracted some big dollars, thanks to the valuable spectrum tied to these facilities.

Raycom Media has completed the acquisition of two ABC affiliates in the Sunshine State, in a deal that saw Kalil & Co. represent the company.

Two big fast-food chains were very active with their placement of cable TV spots for the week ending April 30, according to Media Monitors. The top advertiser at the networks it measures? Burger King. Meanwhile, XFINITY is in, thanks to its efforts to promote a new bundle option. Check out the full Top 10 right here, and take note of who's advertising -- and who isn't.

Some six years after acquiring its first television station, The Meruelo Group has just agreed to purchase its second broadcast property. And, it's a bit of a bargain, as it's paying just $10 million for assets tied to a station within the Los Angeles DMA. What's perhaps most notable about this deal is that it's the first to involve a post-spectrum auction transfer of control of a channel-sharing agreement. We've broken down details as to how Bob Behar's Miami-based Hero Licenseco is exiting Southern California, pocketing millions with the decision.

The end of the month drive to attract potential car and truck buyers was certainly a positive move for broadcast TV. In last week’s Media Monitors TV Spot Ten report, the Chevrolet Dealer Association held steady at No. 1 with 25,883 spots. But six of the 10 brands in this week's report are dealer associations.

An $80 price target has been set for CBS Corp. by one Wall Street financial firm, which has also placed a "buy" rating on the stock.

A Silicon Valley video advertising firm has found that, based on its research, viewers pay attention to a higher proportion of ads on connected TV (CTV). Furthermore, its just-released study says CTV ads deliver higher brand metrics.

Two Class A TV stations that got no takers in the just-concluded spectrum auction have just been sold. In both deals, Kalil & Co. acted as the escrow agent and the buyer's broker, while Patrick Communications represented the seller.

Thanks to a deal announced Thursday, audience segments from the Lotame DMP will now be fed directly to SintecMedia's front-end proposal system, OnBoard. With the connection of detailed viewership data with Lotame’s audience data, local sellers have been empowered with enhanced targeting to clients, the companies note.