Stations fear revenue losses as Disney offers several ways to watch game Once again, ABC and its affiliates are clashing over network programming. But this time, its about how one of the biggest television and sports events of the year is being distributed. Disney – which is the parent company of broadcast network ABC – is taking a multiplatform approach […]
Also: Sasha-Ann Simons exits WBEZ; Disney letting you watch Super Bowl LXI in a variety of ways Chicago Bears fans (me included) are mourning the loss of “Da Coach”, Mike Ditka, who led the team for eleven seasons and helped guide the team to its only Super Bowl title in the 1985 season, clinched at the Louisiana Superdome in New […]
ABC 7 takes fight with the agency to the public The fight between The Walt Disney Co.’s ABC and the FCC escalated Monday, with the network urging to write and contact the FCC in support of The View and its eight owned-and-operated stations, including ABC 7 Chicago (WLS-TV) here. Two issues are in play: whether or not The View is […]
Approved despite lawsuits by states, DirecTV In a historic move, the Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Justice approved the $6.2 billion merger between Irving, Tex.-based Nexstar and McLean, Va.-based Tegna, despite a lawsuit filed by eight state attorneys general and DirecTV. The deal officially closed Thursday night. The FCC granted waivers to Nexstar despite the national ownership cap […]
Stunning deal builds streaming’s clout and is a huge blow to linear TV In a stunning deal with The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences – and one that could be the death knell to linear TV, Google’s YouTube – yes, the video portal where you can watch anything from cat videos to old commercials, has landed the Oscars […]
All ABC stations lose access to platform Disney removed its entire channel portfolio from Google’s YouTubeTV early Friday morning after failing to reach a new agreement. This means subscribers no longer have access to ESPN, FX, National Geographic, Disney Channel, and fifteen others. The dispute also means ABC and its 200+ affiliates are off the virtual provider as ABC (and […]
Threatens to pull ABC and ESPN channels a week from now As hinted at for the last few weeks, Google’s YouTubeTV and The Walt Disney Company are involved in a standoff over a new deal, with Disney warning customers they may lose their channels on October 30 at 11 p.m. CT if an agreement isn’t reached. Disney owns ESPN, Disney […]
NBC prepared to take off channels Sept. 30 Just weeks after Fox Corp. and Google’s YouTube TV were involved in a retransmission dispute, another issue has emerged with NBCUniversal. If a deal can’t be reached by Sept. 30, YouTubeTV subscribers could lose channels from the company, including NBC, Telemundo, Bravo, MSNBC, and CNBC, which broke the story Thursday. […]
Sinclair and Nexstar stand their ground; they won’t air show [Editor’s Note: This post was updated at 8:45 p.m. on September 22 and at 1:30 p.m. on September 23.] Disney-owned ABC announced Monday it is returning Jimmy Kimmel Live to its regular late-night time slot on Tuesday night, after the network forced him to sit out a week due to […]
Network makes move after Nexstar, Sinclair drops show indefinitely, and comes after FCC chair threatens ABC In a bold move, ABC has put late-night show Jimmy Kimmel Live on hiatus after FCC Chairman Brendan Carr threatened ABC and Disney after Kimmel committed on Charlie Kirk’s assassination Monday night. Kimmel mistakenly said that suspect Tyler Robinson was a Trump supporter (he […]
ESPN will likely take over in 2026 [Editor’s Note: This post was updated on August 6.] After months of talks and speculation, The Walt Disney Co.’s ESPN has agreed to acquire NFL Network in exchange for a ten percent stake in the cable network. The agreement is non-binding, as each partner could walk away from the deal at any time. ESPN […]
Episodes available a day after airing in syndication As hinted a few months ago, Sony Pictures Television has sold next-day streaming rights of Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune to not one but two streaming networks. Beginning this September, both game shows will stream on Disney’s Hulu and NBCUniversal’s Peacock. It’s a multi-year deal which will feature both current and […]
Network stands pat with a few changes ABC released its 2025-26 schedule on Tuesday, and like the other broadcast networks (except NBC), familiarity and stability are the key. There is only one new show debuting on the schedule this fall, an indication of the lessening power linear TV has in today’s media space, and was indicated at the Disney upfront […]
Quartet renewed through 2029, but there’s a catch Fox’s Sunday night Animation Domination block will be dominating for some time to come In an unprecedented deal with Disney, Fox has renewed veteran animated shows The Simpsons, Bob’s Burgers, Family Guy, and American Dad for four more years, through the 2028-29 season. It is the largest and longest renewal agreement for any […]
WSVN to stay with Fox as ABC shifts to a 7.2; First major affiliation switch in the market since ’95 Affiliation switches are rare nowadays, but when they happen, it’s big news – even in the streaming era. WPLG Miami-Ft. Lauderdale announced on Thursday that it is ending its 64-year relationship with ABC to become an independent station. Sunbeam’s WSVN […]
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