Gray Television says it has successfully navigated its way through new retransmission agreements with more than 70 percent of its pay television distribution partners.
Those partners include traditional cable and satellite television platforms, along with upstart streaming-like cable replacements, which will continue to offer Gray’s portfolio of local broadcast stations for at least another few years.
The specific platforms that Gray inked new retransmission consent agreements with were not revealed on Monday. Federal law allows local broadcast station owners to charge fees to cable and satellite companies for the privilege of redistributing their channels to subscribers.
Gray owns or operates around 180 local TV stations across vast parts of the country, many of which are affiliated with one or more of the four major broadcast networks — ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC.
“Consistent with Gray’s history of retransmission renewal negotiations since the early 1990s, these negotiations, while often difficult and always complex, were all conducted without any disruption to consumers,” Rob Folliard, a Senior Vice President at Gray Television, said on Monday. “We sincerely appreciate the cooperative, constructive efforts of our [pay television] partners in this renewal cycle.”
Gray Executive Vice President Kevin Latek said fees collected from cable and satellite platforms help fund the broadcaster’s commitment to local news and sports content.
“We have reached this retrans renewal milestone on rates and other terms that met our budgets and that will allow our stations to continue making considerable investments to expand local news and sports for the benefit of the local communities where our employees and these [pay television companies’] employees live and work,” Latek said.
Executives say they anticipate reaching retransmission consent agreements with the other 30 percent of its pay television partners by the second half of the year. Those partners are primarily small and rural-area cable operators within the broadcast area of Gray’s television stations.
The next retransmission consent renewal cycle for Gray is expected to take place in 2026.
