Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. and ABC Announce Extension and Renewals of Affiliation Agreements Through 2022

BALTIMORE and NEW YORK, Jan. 10, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: SBGI) and the ABC Television Network ("ABC") today announced a multi-year deal that extends affiliations across all Sinclair stations to 2022, including station affiliation agreements that had been scheduled to expire at the end of 2017. Additionally, ABC also agreed to an extension of all affiliations with ABC affiliated stations that Sinclair provides sales and other services to under joint sales agreement. The extended and renewed agreements will expire August 2022. 

Contingent upon the closing of Sinclair's acquisition of Tribune, ABC and Sinclair also agreed to an extension of Tribune's ABC affiliation agreements in New Orleans, LA, Scranton-Wilkes-Barre, PA, and Moline, IL (Quad Cities) to be co-terminus with Sinclair's ABC affiliations.

The owned stations which had 2017 expirations dates are WJLA in Washington, D.C., WBMA and WABM in Birmingham, AL, KATV in Little Rock, AR, KTUL in Tulsa, OK, WSET in Roanoke, VA, WCIV in Charleston, SC and KHGI and KWNB in Lincoln, NE; and the stations to which Sinclair provides services are WHAM in Rochester, NY and WGTU and WGTQ in Traverse City, MI. The nine renewed markets serve approximately 5.8 million households and the other ABC affiliates, including Sinclair and Tribune stations, serve an additional approximately 11.6 million households. 

"We are pleased to extend and renew our agreements with ABC, a longtime partner and provider of some of broadcast television's most popular entertainment, news and sports programming," said Barry Faber, Sinclair's Executive Vice President for Distribution and Network Relations. "The renewals reflect the value of the symbiotic relationship between ABC's programming and the local news and syndicated content we provide."

"We value our broad relationship with Sinclair across the country," said John Rouse, Executive Vice President ABC Affiliate Relations.  "This new agreement solidifies the distribution of leading entertainment and informational services to our mutual viewers and advertisers for many years to come."    

Sinclair's 34 ABC affiliates in 30 Markets, including the nine listed above, cover 14% of the U.S. and serve sixteen million households.

About Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc.

Sinclair is one of the largest and most diversified television broadcasting companies in the country. Pro forma for the Tribune acquisition (before any related divestitures), the Company will own, operate and/or provide services to 233 television stations in 108 markets.  The Company has multiple emerging networks as well as stations affiliated with all the major networks. Sinclair is a leading local news provider in the country and a producer of live sports content. Sinclair's content is delivered via multiple-platforms, including over-the-air, multi-channel video program distributors, and digital platforms. The Company regularly uses its website as a key source of Company information which can be accessed at www.sbgi.net.

About ABC

The ABC Television Network, a part of Disney|ABC Television Group, provides entertainment and news programming to viewers via more than 200 affiliated stations across the U.S. Disney|ABC is comprised of The Walt Disney Company's global entertainment and news television properties, owned television stations group, and radio business. In addition to the ABC Television Network, the Group includes ABC Studios, a global leader in the development, production and distribution of entertainment content across broadcast, cable and on-demand platforms, and the ABC Owned Television Stations Group. It also includes Disney Channels Worldwide, a portfolio of 120 kid-driven, family-inclusive entertainment channels, including Disney Channel, Disney XD, Disney Junior and Radio Disney brands, as well as cable network Freeform. Disney|ABC Home Entertainment and Television Distribution and Disney Media Distribution round out the portfolio. Disney|ABC Television Group also has equity interests in A+E Networks and Hulu.

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SOURCE Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc.