CBS Signs Affiliation Deal for Four Sinclair Stations

CBS said it signed new affiliation agreements with Sinclair Broadcast Group covering four stations.

The deals were set to expire at the end of 2018. CBS and Sinclair did not disclose financial terms or say whether the agreements cover steaming on CBS All Access or via virtual distributors like AT&T Now or YouTube TV.

“We are pleased we have reached this renewal agreement with Sinclair,” said Ray Hopkins, president of network distribution for the CBS Television Network. “This is a win-win with our longtime partner who recognizes the value that the number one network brings to viewers in these markets, while CBS continues to deliver industry-leading content and achieve both our short and long-term economic goals.”

Related: CBS Set to Acquire Australian Broadcaster Network Ten

Covered by the agreement are Sinclair-owned KGAN-TV, Cedar Rapids, Iowa; KGBT-TV in Harlingen, Texas, and WGME-TV in Portland, Me., plus WTVH-TV in Syracuse where Sinclair as a joint sales agreement.

The stations cover 1.5 million TV households. Altogether, Sinclair’s CBS affiliates cover 8% of the U.S. and serve more than 9 million households.

“We are pleased to renew our agreements with CBS, a longtime partner and provider of some of the most popular entertainment and sports programming,” said Barry Faber, Sinclair’s executive VP for distribution and network relations. “The renewals reflect the value of the symbiotic relationship, with the local news and syndicated content we provide.”

Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.