Tom Carter, a longtime former Nexstar exec who is now a senior adviser to the CEO and board of directors, says the company could acquire Disney’s local ABC-TV stations with “little friction” if they become available.
In a major programming addition, Sling TV will now carry ABC-owned stations in eight major cities, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia and San Francisco. Unfortunately for Sling Orange tier customers in those markets, who also have access to local NBC and Fox stations, the price of their service is going up another $5 to $45 a month. And the price of the combined Orange/Blue tier is also going up for them by $5 to $60 a month.
The new app, customized for each of ABC’s owned television stations, offers voice alerts warning users of severe weather, and includes a “follow me anywhere” setting that allows users to get radar and weather information wherever they travel.
ABC has inked an agreement to use the Rentrak local TV service for three of its eight owned stations — ones in Houston, San Francisco and Fresno. The Houston station had quietly been using the data for about six months under a short-term agreement.
Syndication’s top two game shows renewed for two years beyond current run, taking them through 2015-16.
The head of the ABC O&O’s digital media efforts is named president and general manager of the ABC-owned station in San Francisco.
With the addition of the Scripps outlets that reach 10% of TV homes, the lifestyle channel has boosted its coverage to more than 40%. The channel counts 16 other affiliates: eight ABC-owned, five Belo, two Lilly Broadcasting and one LKK Group.
Verizon FiOS TV customers now have online access to ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN Buzzer Beater as part of a broader agreement between Disney and the phone company.