TV station giant Sinclair Broadcast Group has renewed a multiyear deal to air ABC affiliates across Sinclair stations into 2026.
As part of the deal, Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution will also renew affiliations with three ABC station partners, WHAM in Rochester, N.Y. and WGTU and WGTQ in Traverse City, Mich, to which Sinclair provides sales and other work. Sinclair is one of the largest owners of local TV stations and the largest of regional sports networks in the U.S.
“We are pleased to reach a long-term renewal of our agreements with Disney for ABC, a valued partner and provider of some of broadcast television’s most popular entertainment, news and sports programming,” said Will Bell, SVP, head of distribution and network relations for Sinclair. “The renewals reflect the evolving media landscape and the continued value of the symbiotic relationship between ABC’s programming and the local news and syndicated content we provide.”
In 2019, Sinclair reached a $10.6 billion deal to acquire 21 regional Fox Sports networks from Disney. Disney had agreed to sell these networks in order to get regulatory approval for its $71.3 billion acquisition for assets from 21st Century Fox.
“We look forward to continuing to work closely with the Sinclair team to serve our mutual viewers via the ABC brand affiliation and its unrivaled network programming while driving strong results across these 30 important local markets well into the future,” said John Rouse, EVP, affiliate relations, Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution.