Sinclair Broadcast Group has announced it has signed long-term affiliation renewal agreements with ABC in 13 markets.
Three affiliations will expire on August 31, 2o19 while 11 will run until August 31, 2020. Sinclair owns 25 ABC affiliates, the most of any station group.
The stations being renewed are KOMO in Seattle, KATU in Portland, Ore., WHOI in Peoria, Ill., WLOS in Asheville, N.C., WCHS in Charleston, W.V., WTVC in Chattanooga, Tenn., WSYX in Columbus, Ohio, WKEF in Dayton, WXLV in Winston-Salem, N.C., WEAR in Pensacola, Fla., WICD in Champaign-Springfield, Ill., KDNL in St. Louis, Mo., and KHQA in Quincy, Ill.
“As expected, we will continue to pay ABC reasonable fees, which will be invested in high quality broadcast content that enhances the value of our stations,” said Sinclair’s EVP and general counsel, Barry Faber. “We are confident our net retransmission revenues will continue to grow as the retransmission consent market continues to mature and normalize, bringing broadcasters’ payments in line with their consistently dominant ratings among MVPD offerings and allowing Sinclair to realize the value of the programming offered by our stations and the networks with which we affiliate.”