FOX 12 Plus Will Become The Home of the Portland Fire and Portland Thorns With New Focus On Women’s SportsPortland Fire Announces Partnership With Kiswe To Power Fan-Focused Streaming Platform PORTLAND, Ore., Feb. 24, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The WNBA’s Portland Fire and NWSL’s Portland Thorns announced a groundbreaking, multi-year media partnership establishing Gray Media’s KPDX (FOX 12 Plus) as the regional broadcast home for the two professional women’s sports teams in Portland. Additionally, the Portla ...

Core Viewpoint - Sinclair, Inc. will participate in two investor conferences in March 2026, providing opportunities for engagement with institutional investors through live webcasts of fireside chats [1][2]. Group 1: Investor Conferences - The J.P. Morgan Global Leveraged Finance Conference will take place on March 3rd, featuring a fireside chat at 3:00 pm ET with CFO Narinder Sahai [2]. - The Deutsche Bank 34th Annual Media, Internet and Telecom Conference is scheduled for March 9th, with a fireside chat at 1:30 pm ET featuring CEO Chris Ripley and CFO Narinder Sahai [2]. - Live webcasts and replays of both conferences will be accessible on the Investor Relations section of Sinclair's website [2]. Group 2: Executive Participation - Sinclair executives will engage in investor meetings at both conferences, allowing institutional investors to register through J.P. Morgan or Deutsche Bank sales representatives [3]. Group 3: Company Overview - Sinclair, Inc. is a diversified media company operating 179 television stations across 81 markets, affiliated with major broadcast networks [4]. - The company owns the Tennis Channel and multicast networks including CHARGE, Comet, ROAR, and The Nest, and produces digital content and original podcasts through AMP Media [4].

Core Points - The Atlanta Braves and Gray Media have expanded their spring training broadcast, offering 15 games to fans across 26 markets in the Southeast [1][2][5] - The partnership aims to enhance fan engagement by providing live spring training action and a new 10-episode series titled "Celebrating '21" featuring commentary from former Braves manager Brian Snitker [2][5] - The Braves' President & CEO, Derek Schiller, emphasized the commitment to making Braves baseball accessible and highlighted the positive response from last year's partnership with Gray Media [5] Company Overview - The Atlanta Braves, established in 1966, are the longest continuously operating franchise in Major League Baseball, with a history of two World Series titles and multiple division championships [6] - Gray Media, headquartered in Atlanta, is the largest owner of local television stations in the U.S., reaching approximately 37% of U.S. television households [8]

Core Insights - MediaCo Holding Inc. announced that its flagship Spanish-language network, EstrellaTV, achieved a record annual Year-over-Year (YoY) growth of +14% in the P18-49 prime time demographic for 2025, marking the largest growth in the network's history [1] - This growth represents the first annual increase for any Spanish-language TV broadcast network in the last four years, highlighting EstrellaTV's strong performance amidst broader industry audience erosion [1] Company Performance - EstrellaTV's 14% surge in viewership stands in stark contrast to its primary competitors, indicating a significant competitive advantage in the Spanish-language broadcasting market [1]

Core Insights - Fox Corporation reported a total revenue of $5.18 billion for the fiscal second quarter, reflecting a 2% increase from the prior year, driven by distribution revenue growth of 4% and advertising revenue growth of 1% despite a challenging comparison to last year's political advertising cycle [5][6][16] Television Segment - The Television segment generated revenue of $2.94 billion, with television advertising revenue remaining unchanged due to growth in Tubi and additional MLB postseason games being offset by the absence of prior-year political advertising [1] - Television distribution revenue increased by 1%, while television content and other revenue declined by 19% due to lower entertainment production studio revenue [1] - Segment EBITDA was reported at $143 million, down from $205 million a year earlier [1] Cable Segment - The Cable segment posted revenue of $2.28 billion and adjusted EBITDA of $687 million, both up 5% from the previous year [2] - Cable advertising revenue rose by 7%, attributed to higher pricing in news and sports, while cable distribution revenue also increased by 5% [2] Advertising Performance - Fox experienced robust advertising demand across news, sports, and streaming, with record-breaking ad revenue for the MLB postseason and strong performance in NFL and college football [7][8] - The company added approximately 200 new advertisers in the first half of the fiscal year, building on 350 new advertisers from the previous year [9] Distribution Trends - Distribution revenue rose by 4%, with subscriber declines improving sequentially, reported at a decline rate of 6.3% [11] - Fox One, launched five months ago, exceeded expectations, with no noticeable cannibalization of traditional subscribers [11] Tubi Performance - Tubi achieved its most-streamed quarter ever, with total view time up 27% year over year and quarterly revenue up 19%, achieving EBITDA profitability for the second consecutive quarter [13][14] - The platform's audience composition shows that 70% of Tubi's user base consists of cord cutters or cord nevers [14] Financial Position - Fox reported a free cash flow deficit of $791 million for the quarter, consistent with seasonal working capital tied to sports rights payments [15] - The company repurchased $1.8 billion of shares fiscal year-to-date, with cumulative repurchases since 2019 totaling $8.4 billion, representing about 35% of total shares outstanding [16]

Core Insights - EstrellaTV, a division of MediaCo Holding Inc., has shown significant growth in January 2026, marking its fourth consecutive month of year-over-year prime time growth among Adults 18–49 [1] - The network has achieved a remarkable +46% increase in prime time viewership, the highest percentage gain among all major Spanish-language broadcasters [1] Company Performance - EstrellaTV is currently the fastest-growing Spanish-language television network, solidifying its competitive position in the market [1] - The growth trend indicates a strong momentum for EstrellaTV as it continues to attract a larger audience in the prime time slot [1]

Core Insights - The broadcasting industry is shifting its scheduling strategies by introducing reality shows on weekdays, moving away from the traditional fiction-led model [1][9] - Reality formats are appealing to advertisers due to their ability to attract gender-balanced audiences and their effectiveness across television and digital platforms [2][6] - The rise of non-fiction genres, driven by streaming platforms, is prompting TV channels to extend their programming to weekdays, targeting non-drama soap audiences [5][9] Industry Trends - Non-fiction shows are increasingly popular among advertisers, commanding a premium of 35% to 75% for sponsorships, as they aggregate essential audiences for brand campaigns [6][10] - Cricket remains the only male-targeted mass-appeal offering dominating weekday viewership, highlighting a gap for male audiences in non-fiction programming [7][9] - The strategy to incorporate more interactive non-fiction and game formats aims to enhance monetization and engage audiences across both television and mobile platforms [8][10]

Core Thesis - Sinclair, Inc. (SBGI) is viewed positively due to its strategic moves in the local TV broadcasting sector, particularly its recent stake in E.W. Scripps and the potential for a merger to enhance competitiveness and drive cost synergies [3][4][5]. Company Overview - Sinclair Broadcasting Group operates 193 television stations across over 100 markets, reaching approximately 40% of U.S. households, with revenue primarily from advertising, retransmission consent fees, and content distribution [2]. - The company has a market capitalization of $1.12 billion and reported revenue of $3.34 billion, with a dividend yield of 6.22% [4]. Strategic Moves - Sinclair's acquisition of a stake in E.W. Scripps is part of a "merge or die" strategy aimed at cutting costs and gaining scale in response to declining linear television viewership and cable subscriptions [3][4]. - The market reacted positively to the merger announcement, with SBGI shares increasing by 7.4%, indicating investor confidence in the strategic rationale behind the deal [4]. Potential Outcomes - If the merger with Scripps proceeds, projected cost synergies of $100–200 million could elevate SBGI shares to a range of $20–22, representing a potential gain of 16–27% from current levels [5]. - Conversely, if the merger is rejected or blocked by regulators, shares could decline to $15–16, although the dividend offers some protection [5]. Market Dynamics - The situation exemplifies the importance of identifying consolidation opportunities in the M&A landscape, with Sinclair's proactive approach and the market's immediate response serving as a case study in merger-driven investment strategies [6].

Group 1 - Gray Media, Inc. and NBC have announced a multi-year deal to extend and renew station affiliation agreements for all 54 markets where Gray operates NBC affiliated television stations, reaching over 14 million households, which is nearly 11% of U.S. TV households [1] - The new agreement includes full carriage of NBC's broadcast network, featuring major programs such as "TODAY," "NBC Nightly News," "Sunday Night Football," and the Olympics, with NBC being the 1 network in all programming for the current 2025-26 television season [2] - Gray Media, Inc. is the largest owner of top-rated local television stations and digital assets in the U.S., serving 113 television markets that collectively reach approximately 37% of U.S. television households, with a significant presence in both local and digital media [3]

Mergers and Acquisitions - Scripps rejected Sinclair's unsolicited acquisition bid of $7 per share in cash and stock [1] - Scripps stated the rejection was due to the bid not being in the best interests of shareholders [1]