Gray Launches Five Affils On CBS All Access

Gray Television has launched five of its CBS affiliated stations on CBS All Access, CBS’s subscription video on-demand and live-streaming service.  Gray’s launch expands the direct-to-consumer service into additional mid-size markets, including four university cities.

CBS launched the $5.99-per-month service (available on Android and iOS, Roku and online at CBS.com) in October 2014 with feeds from 14 CBS O&Os in major markets such as New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. 

On Monday, April 13, Nexstar Broadcasting’s KLAS became the first non-owned affiliated television station to launch its live linear stream on CBS All Access in the Las Vegas market in conjunction with the start of the 2015 NAB Show.

Today, Gray launched the live linear streams of KKTV Colorado Springs, Colo.; KBTX Waco-Bryan-College Station, Texas; WCAV Charlottesville, Va.; WTVY Dothan, Ala.; and KXII Sherman, Texas.

These markets are home to numerous colleges and universities including the U.S. Air Force Academy, Baylor University, Texas A&M University, and the University of Virginia.

The live linear streams mirror each station’s over-the-air signal and include essentially all CBS Network programming, syndicated programming including those licensed by CBS Television Distribution, and local news and other local programming broadcast by each station.

Gray has been working closely with CBS Interactive and Syncbak to expand the CBS All Access service across all of its CBS markets.  In fact, Gray announced in May 2013 that it had launched the primary streams of all of its then 41 television stations on the Syncbak platform, albeit only during timeslots for local and certain syndicated programming.

The CBS All Access service, in contrast, includes essentially all network, local and syndicated programming, broadcast by the participating station.

Gray anticipates launching CBS All Access in several additional CBS affiliates as soon as next week, with more mid-size and small market stations to follow in the weeks thereafter.