Ripley’s Believe It Or Not: What Sinclair-Tribune Looks Like Is Massive

By Adam Jacobson via RBR + TVBR INFOCUS

Sinclair Broadcast Group’s Talented Mr. Ripley — President/CEO Chris Ripley, that is — hosted an 11am conference call with financial analysts on Wall Street just two hours after an announcement confirming that the Baltimore-based media company had agreed to a merger with Tribune Media Co. valued at a whopping $6.6 billion, including the assumption of approximately $2.7 billion in net debt.

Simply stated, Ripley will be overseeing — by far — the largest broadcast TV company in the U.S., with combined revenue of $4.3 billion.

What’s perhaps the biggest takeaway of the Sinclair-Tribune Media deal is all about reach: The new Sinclair, after the deal’s expected close in Q4, will have coverage of 72% of the U.S. Click here for more.

The Dealmaker's Predictions: A Robust 2017 For TV Deals

Can we just end 2016 today?

That's a refrain many media brokers may be saying. 

"This was mostly portfolio tweaking," says George Reed, a media broker with Media Services Group based out of the Jacksonville, Fla., office. "Inventory is, and has been, limited."

But the next 12 months look good, says Reed and another broker who shared their thoughts on 2017 with RBR + TVBR. 

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