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RE: North American TV - Industry News and Discussion - Medianext.MX - 15-09-2023

(15-09-2023, 01:19 PM)JAS84 Wrote:  Is that even allowed? Nexstar already owns CW and I thought you couldn't fully control two major US TV stations?

Well, the FCC rules stipulate any of the Big Four networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox) can't be owned by a single company in the case one of these is sold, divested and/or merged with another one. This is what happened when Fox sold most of its media empire to Disney; they were forced to retain Fox, Fox News and Fox Sports because it overlapped with ABC, ABC News and ESPN on ABC.

https://variety.com/2017/politics/news/disney-fox-antitrust-1202631193/ 

Looking, however, at the history books: CBS/Viacom owned UPN during the latter years of its existence, simply because UPN was (technically) not a Big Four network; the Viacom/CBS merger in 1999 was also a factor in the FCC allowing legal local station duopolies later that year.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duopoly_(broadcasting) 

The CW is, technically too, a non-Big Four network. So, if Nexstar can buy ABC, it would certainly not be outlawed. However, there are additional factors Nexstar might have in the long term: they operate 197 stations in 116 markets, and they would have problems in almost all of their markets if they get ABC (plus the O&Os). For example: in NY (WABC and WPIX), LA (KABC and KTLA), Chicago (WLS and WGN) and Philly (WPVI and WPHL), both ABC and CW O&Os are frequently in the first four spots in the news races (and in the general ratings), something that Nexstar would have to ask for a "public interest" waiver if needed to merge both stations. Additionally, you have WTVD and WNCN in the Triangle, that's two Big Four stations, and even worse, a real duopoly of CBS and NBC stations in Fresno, which, if they integrate the ABC O&O, would make an automatic triopoly (not allowed by the FCC, BTW), making a merger more difficult. To make things worse, Nexstar might have passed the FCC's market cap of 39% of TV households if it bought ABC's O&Os, leading to a through review of the deal if Nexstar planned to use warehousing to divest stations.

RE: North American TV - Industry News and Discussion - sky303 - 16-09-2023

(15-09-2023, 05:00 PM)Medianext.MX Wrote:   To make things worse, Nexstar might have passed the FCC's market cap of 39% of TV households if it bought ABC's O&Os, leading to a through review of the deal if Nexstar planned to use warehousing to divest stations.

Nexstar is already at or pass the cap, without the UHF discount they are way over it. That's why they  have "MIssion" owning WPIX in New York.    And Mission buying WADL-TV in Detroit. 


Nexstar probably shouldn't try to buy ABC, that'd be very bad on their part.

RE: North American TV - Industry News and Discussion - Rdd - 16-09-2023

What would be very interesting if ABC were sold, more so than what happens to its news division, is the fact that it’s sports division is completely integrated with ESPN, to the point where ESPN’s most recent NFL deal gave them extra games but effectively was done on the basis that ABC was where they were going to be broadcast. So what happens if ABC and ESPN end up in seperate ownership? Would ABC seek to re-enter the sports rights market independent from ESPN? What about the NFL deal?

RE: North American TV - Industry News and Discussion - sky303 - 17-09-2023

(16-09-2023, 11:36 PM)Rdd Wrote:  What would be very interesting if ABC were sold, more so than what happens to its news division, is the fact that it’s sports division is completely integrated with ESPN, to the point where ESPN’s most recent NFL deal gave them extra games but effectively was done on the basis that ABC was where they were going to be broadcast. So what happens if ABC and ESPN end up in seperate ownership? Would ABC seek to re-enter the sports rights market independent from ESPN? What about the NFL deal?

ESPN and ABC were owned together before Disney too that's a long time of integration between the two.  If they were separated, I think they'd make a deal to keep ESPN doing ABC Sports production.  Outsourced.  This is also where I think Hearst buying the ABC owned stations makes more sense than anyone else, they own 20% of ESPN.  They could make a good deal to keep those working together.

RE: North American TV - Industry News and Discussion - London Lite - 17-09-2023

Nexstar stations to return to DirecTV on a temporary basis while they complete a new agreement. They're already back on DirecTV Stream with WNCN (CBS) Raleigh/Durham and NewsNation back.

https://www.nexstar.tv/directv-and-nexstar-agree-to-temporarily-return-tv-stations-and-newsnation-to-directv-directv-stream-u-verse/ 

RE: North American TV - Industry News and Discussion - London Lite - 18-09-2023

Now confirmed that both parties have signed a multi-year distrubution agreement which sees the local stations, NewsNation, Rewind TV and Antenna TV return to DirecTV, DirecTV Stream and U-verse.

https://www.nexstar.tv/directv-and-nexstar-reach-new-multi-year-distribution-agreement/ 

RE: North American TV - Industry News and Discussion - Medianext.MX - 19-09-2023

(18-09-2023, 09:00 PM)London Lite Wrote:  Now confirmed that both parties have signed a multi-year distrubution agreement which sees the local stations, NewsNation, Rewind TV and Antenna TV return to DirecTV, DirecTV Stream and U-verse.

https://www.nexstar.tv/directv-and-nexstar-reach-new-multi-year-distribution-agreement/ 

There is a catch to this, however: stations owned by sidecars Mission and White Knight are still blacked out, in a carriage dispute which is about to become a year-old battle:

https://www.nexttv.com/news/nexstar-media-directv-complete-long-term-carriage-agreement 
In the meantime, Hearst is again involved in a dispute, this time with Dish:

https://www.nexttv.com/news/another-one-thirty-seven-hearst-stations-blacked-out-on-dish-network 

RE: North American TV - Industry News and Discussion - W. Knight - 21-09-2023

Breaking: Murdoch is stepping down from Fox. His son will be taking over.
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-66881306 

RE: North American TV - Industry News and Discussion - W. Knight - 25-09-2023

The writers union have reached a deal with the studios, suspending their part of the strike. Actors’ guild is still striking at the moment, which the writers are encouraged to join in.
https://variety.com/2023/biz/news/writers-strike-ends-wga-amptp-deal-2-1235733452/ 

RE: North American TV - Industry News and Discussion - TheGregmeister - 25-09-2023

(25-09-2023, 03:58 AM)W. Knight Wrote:  The writers union have reached a deal with the studios, suspending their part of the strike. Actors’ guild is still striking at the moment, which the writers are encouraged to join in.
https://variety.com/2023/biz/news/writers-strike-ends-wga-amptp-deal-2-1235733452/ 


BBC News - Hollywood writers in deal to end US studio strike.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-66909250 

Hopefully things should start getting back to normal with at least some entertainment productions. I'd imagine the first shows to return to air given their topical comedy segments would be the late night talk shows as they were the first to go dark when the strike started in May. Given that a lot has happened in the news in the US since the strikes started, not least the various criminal indictments against a certain big orange idiot ex-PoTUS, they've got quite a lot to catch up on!

Indeed, the hosts of these shows Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers and John Oliver recently started a weekly podcast series called "Strike Force Five" to support their writers and production staff, out of work because of the strike, with money coming in from corporate sponsors.