Stations cashed in on retransmission agreements last year.
According to estimates from BIA/Kelsey, stations received approximately $6.8 Billion from retransmission agreements made with cable and satellite providers in every market.
Retransmission consent agreements contributed to a total industry revenue in 2016 of $28.4 billion, according to reports.
“The dependence on retransmission fees has become incredibly important to local stations and many publicly traded ownership groups because it amounts to nearly one-third of their revenue,” said Mark Fratrik, senior vice president and chief economist at BIA/Kelsey.
BIA/Kelsey has developed a modeling formula that used its public information and industry knowledge to provide a deeper examination into the revenue streams for each station.