More local stations are buying into CBS All Access, the subscription-based, livestreaming and on-demand service of the CBS broadcast network.
Twelve station groups, representing 56 markets nationwide have agreed to the terms. Increasingly, stations groups are finding that their broadcast partners hold the programming chips, leaving their viewers in the balance.
Viewers of CBS affiliates owned by companies including Dispatch Broadcast Group, Graham Media, Gray, Hearst, Nexstar, Raycom and Meredith, will be able to access CBS All Access later this month.
Calling it “a new era in distribution,” Dispatch CEO and vice chair of the CBS Affiliates Board Michael Fiorile said, “We see it as an opportunity to expand our reach by delivering our stations anywhere and anytime our viewers want to watch.”
Along with the CBS owned-and-operated stations (O&Os), CBS All Access will now be available in 55 percent of U.S. households. For their part, affiliates will participate in a revenue-share and will also have the benefit of the digital live viewership counting toward their Nielsen rating.
“This is another key step in the company’s long-standing strategy to grow our business in a way that complements our existing ecosystem,” said Leslie Moonves, president and CEO, CBS Corporation, in a release. “Adding CBS affiliates to the mix will give viewers the opportunity to watch more CBS programming whenever they want on whichever device they choose.”
CBS has tapped Syncbak, in which it is an investor, for the delivery and geo-targeting of CBS All Access programming.
[This story originally appeared in Adweek]