NEW YORK, May 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- CBS Corporation
announced today a new wide-ranging agreement with the CBS Affiliate
Board to expand CBS' network-affiliate partnership into the digital
marketplace. The deal addresses affiliates' continued participation
in CBS All Access as well as additional opportunities to
participate in over-the-top platforms, including Hulu, Google's
YouTube TV and future new entrants, with additional revenue
possibilities for all.
With this new collaborative agreement, affiliated stations are
joining with CBS to distribute premium content to new "skinny
bundles" reaching viewers coast-to-coast across multiple platforms
and screens anytime and anywhere. Specific terms of the agreement
were not disclosed.
"Expanding distribution on these new platforms together with our
affiliates has been a part of CBS' long-term digital strategy, and
I am very proud we have reached this agreement with our affiliate
board," said Ray Hopkins, President,
Television Networks Distribution, CBS Corporation. "No broadcaster
has made preserving the network-affiliate model a core tenet of
their strategy like CBS. We look forward to continuing to work in
partnership with our affiliates, and as these new forms of
distribution continue to grow, including CBS All Access, so
will our revenue together."
"We are pleased we have reached this agreement in partnership
with CBS," said Chris Cornelius,
Chairman of the CBS Affiliates Board. "Access to these new and
emerging digital distribution platforms gives all CBS affiliates
the opportunity to provide viewers with more accessibility to their
favorite local programs as well as must-see, hit CBS programming
such as the NFL, THE BIG BANG THEORY, NCIS, 60 MINUTES and so much
more."
CBS All Access is the only direct-to-consumer product of
its kind, and CBS is the only network to offer its affiliate
partners a revenue-generating opportunity to reach viewers in their
markets with local and national content, at home or on the go
through its own streaming service. Viewers in 90% of the country
can receive their local CBS affiliate through CBS All
Access, and that number is expected to grow under the new
pact.
In addition to CBS All Access, this new deal establishes
a framework for distribution of local signals on Google's YouTube
TV, Hulu's new television streaming service, and future new entrant
over-the-top platforms, as well as the opportunity for additional
revenue from these new services while reaching digitally engaged
viewers with premium local and national content. CBS was the first
broadcast network to partner with its affiliates on a new
over-the-top platform with Sony Vue in 2015, and local signals are
now available in 100 markets.
About CBS Corporation:
CBS Corporation (NYSE: CBS.A
and CBS) is a mass media company that creates and distributes
industry-leading content across a variety of platforms to audiences
around the world. The Company has businesses with origins that date
back to the dawn of the broadcasting age as well as new ventures
that operate on the leading edge of media. CBS owns the
most-watched television network in the U.S. and one of the world's
largest libraries of entertainment content, making its brand — "the
Eye" — one of the most recognized in business. The Company's
operations span virtually every field of media and entertainment,
including cable, publishing, radio, local TV, film, and interactive
and socially responsible media. CBS's businesses include CBS
Television Network, The CW (a joint venture between CBS Corporation
and Warner Bros. Entertainment), CBS Television Studios, CBS
Studios International, CBS Television Distribution, CBS Consumer
Products, CBS Home Entertainment, CBS Interactive, CBS Films,
Showtime Networks, CBS Sports Network, Pop (a joint venture between
CBS Corporation and Lionsgate), Smithsonian Networks, Simon &
Schuster, CBS Television Stations, CBS Radio and CBS EcoMedia. For
more information, go to www.cbscorporation.com.
About CBS All Access:
CBS All Access is
the CBS Television Network's digital subscription video on-demand
and live streaming service. CBS All Access gives CBS
fans the ability to watch more than 7,500 episodes on demand –
spanning current shows from primetime, daytime and late night, as
well as past seasons of select series and classic TV hits. CBS
All Access is currently available online at CBS.com, on mobile
devices via the CBS App for iOS, Android and Windows 10, and on
Roku Players, Apple TV, Chromecast, Android TV, Xbox 360 and Fire
TV.
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SOURCE CBS Corporation