Cox, Sinclair Reach Retransmission-Consent Deal

Cox Communications and Sinclair Broadcast Group reached a four-year retransmission-consent agreement that includes carriage of HDTV signals.

The agreement provides for Cox systems to carry nine TV stations owned by Sinclair, serving about 1.25 million unique subscribers, in six markets. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.

"With this transaction, Sinclair has now completed long-term retransmission-consent agreements with all major multiple system operators in our markets, ensuring that cable subscribers in our markets will continue to receive some of the most popular programs on television," Sinclair CEO and president David Smith said in a prepared statement.

"Our agreement with Cox, which includes mutually acceptable economic arrangements and an exchange of value, again demonstrates the value of broadcast television to alternative delivery systems," he added.

The stations included in the agreement are: KVMY/KVCW in Las Vegas; KOKH/KOCB in Oklahoma City; WEAR/WFGX in Pensacola, Fla./Mobile, Ala.; WTVZ in Norfolk, Va.; WRLH in Richmond, Va.; and WGGB in Springfield, Mass.

Sinclair has also closed retransmission-consent deals with Time Warner Cable, Mediacom Communications, Comcast and Charter Communications.