Sinclair And NCTC Reach Retrans Deal

Sinclair Broadcast Group says it has reached agreement with the National Cable Television Cooperative that allows NCTC’s member companies to opt into a multi-year retransmission consent agreement. The agreement also provides for carriage of Sinclair-owned Tennis Channel.

NCTC has more than 850 independent cable/broadband operator members, and negotiating carriage agreements with content providers is among the many services it provides. In Sinclair’s markets, NCTC represents over 2 million ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox subscribers, and approximately 700,000 CW and MNT subs.

“We are pleased to have reached this groundbreaking agreement with NCTC, which has not traditionally entered into agreements relating to carriage of local broadcast stations,” said Barry Faber, Sinclair’s EVP of network relations and distribution.

“However, both sides were interested in doing a single deal to take advantage of the efficiencies of such and to reflect the spirit of partnership with small MVPDs around the country. We very much appreciate the efforts of the NCTC management team in working cooperatively to reach this mutually beneficial agreement.”