21st Century Fox today announced Wednesday it would buy seven television stations from Sinclair Broadcast Group and Tribune Media for about $910 million.
The deal will increase Fox Television Stations’ (FTS) coverage to nearly half of all U.S. households, and its market presence to 19 of the top 20 DMAs, including the addition of key markets that align with Fox’s sports rights.
Under the deal, Fox would pick up stations in Seattle, Miami, Denver, Cleveland, Sacramento, San Diego and Salt Lake City. All but Miami is affiliated with the Fox broadcast network; Miami’s WSFL is a CW station.
The deal strengthens the 21st Century Fox that will emerge after the completion of much of its film and TV assets by Disney.
Fox currently owns 28 stations in 17 markets, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and Houston — which will remain with Fox after the Disney deal, along with the Fox broadcast network, Fox News and Fox Sports.
The new sell-off of stations could help Sinclair secure regulatory approval for its proposed $3.9 billion acquisition of Tribune Media, which would make it the largest U.S. TV station owner. Last month, the company agreed to sell nine of its other TV stations to Standard Media Group for $441.7 million.
21st Century Fox has also entered into new network affiliation agreements with Sinclair (and licensees of certain stations to which Sinclair provides services), and will grant Sinclair options to acquire two of its stations, the CW affiliate WPWR in Chicago and the Fox affiliate KTBC in Austin, Texas, for potential proceeds of approximately $15 million and $160 million, respectively.
Completion of the stations acquisition by 21st Century Fox is anticipated for the second half of this calendar year, subject to regulatory approvals.
“This transaction illustrates Fox’s commitment to local broadcasting and we are pleased to add these stations to our existing portfolio,” Jack Abernethy, CEO of Fox Television Stations, said in a statement. “This expansion will further enrich our valuable alignments with the NFL, including our new Thursday Night Football rights, MLB and college sports assets.”
11 TV Cast Upheavals, From Kevin Spacey in 'House of Cards' to Clayne Crawford in 'Lethal Weapon' (Photos)
"Lethal Weapon"
Actor Seann William Scott took over the role of Martin Riggs for the show's third season, which got the green light from Fox on May 13. A representative from Warner Bros. Television said the studio "decided not to renew Clayne Crawford’s contract for ‘Lethal Weapon'" after reports of bad behavior on set, described as "complaints of emotional abuse and creating a hostile environment."
Crawford apologized last month and wished the "Lethal Weapon" team luck on their third season without him. “To my cast and crew – CONGRATULATIONS on season 3!” Crawford wrote. “To the Fans – Thank you for the overwhelming support and love. Riggs was a dream role and the experience will live with me forever. My heart is full. Good Luck nxt season!!” he said on Instagram over the weekend.
"I take great pride in treating everyone in life with dignity and kindness," the 40-year-old actor said in April. "I am very grateful for my job, and I work extremely hard at it. I have a responsibility to do good work for my coworkers, my family, and my home state, and most especially for the fans. I hope they will stick with me and stick with the show."
Fox bosses said the decision to move ahead with a new season without Crawford was not their decision, but that of Warner Bros.
"Ultimately, our partners at Warner Bros. come to us about three weeks ago to tell us that they could not deliver ‘Lethal Weapon’ as we’ve known it before, that there were some real challenges in the cast. They thought long and hard about it. I know that was not their first choice,” said Dana Walden, Chairmen and CEO, Fox Television Group.
Ray Mickshaw/FOX
"House of Cards"
After star Kevin Spacey was accused of sexual misconduct, production was delayed and the actor's character was eventually written out of the show. Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos announced in December that a sixth and final season of the critically acclaimed drama "will not involve Kevin Spacey," but will feature lead actress Robin Wright.
"From day one, I have denied the outrageous allegations against me. Law enforcement investigated these claims more than 15 years ago and determined them to be without merit," he said in a statement to TheWrap at the time. "I have never been charged with a crime, let alone convicted of one. In this country, you are presumed innocent until proven guilty."
Netflix
"The Four"
Music executive Charlie Walk exited this singing competition, on which he was a judge, after he was accused of sexual harassment by a former employee. Walk did not attend the Fox show's finale, and will not be returning.
"I do not want my presence to be a distraction. Needless to say this is very upsetting," Walk said in a statement in February. "Although I continue to support the ‘Me Too’ movement, there has been an extreme rush to judgment against me in this particular case which is unfair and inconsistent with anything that even actually happened. I welcome any investigation so that in short order these unfounded and hurtful accusations can be put to rest."
"Gossip Girl" alum Ed Westwick was replaced by Christian Cooke after the actor was accused by three women of sexual assault (Westwick has denied the accusations). The premiere of the drama was canceled in November after accusations surfaced, and the show was pulled from the BBC. Filming for another BBC drama featuring Westwick, “White Gold,” was also stalled at the time.
Reshoots with Cooke went "smoothly," according to The Guardian, and the drama finally premiered on BBC One on Easter Sunday.
Jeff Spicer/Getty Images
"The Walking Dead"
Chandler Riggs, who played fan-favorite character Carl Grimes, left the show this season in a drawn-out and heartbreaking death-by-zombie bite. Fans were shocked when they learned his fate. "I didn’t know that this many people connected to him like on such an extreme level,” Riggs said of his character in an interview with TheWrap. Carl's death on the long-standing AMC drama caught fans off guard, mainly, because his character is still very much alive and a large part of the comics on which the show is based.
AMC
"Grey's Anatomy"
News of longtime cast members Sarah Drew and Jessica Capshaw leaving the medical drama came as a shock to fans in March. After some reports that star Ellen Pompeo's behemoth salary led to the actresses being cut, both Pompeo and showrunner Krista Vernoff said the idea was misleading.
“The decision to make changes to our cast was a creative one,” Vernoff said. “The only thing as constant on 'Grey’s Anatomy' as Ellen Pompeo is our penchant for reinvention. It is a part of our success and what keeps the show exciting. We love these actresses and we love these characters and it felt true and right creatively to wrap up their stories. And that is the whole story.”
"Harry Potter" alum Frank Dillane, who plays Nick Clark on the "Walking Dead" spinoff, said that Season 4 felt like the right time to move on from the show. (Spoiler!) Nick died in an April 29 episode after being shot by Charlie, the child spy of the Vultures group.
"I just felt like the beginning of this season kind of felt like the end of an era with this show. And television is hard work, and you have to shoot a lot," the British actor said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. "I also missed Europe very much. I’m not American, so after a while I get quite homesick and all of those things. I also felt like we had achieved what needed to be achieved in the first few seasons, so I thought it was time to keep moving."
Combined with new cast members, like "Walking Dead" star Lennie James, Maggie Grace, Garret Dillahunt and Jenna Elfman, Nick's death marks the whittling away of the Clark family and crew on the spinoff show.
AMC
"NCIS"
Long-time "NCIS" star Pauley Perrette announced in October that she's leaving the show after 15 seasons. "So it is true that I am leaving NCIS... There have been all kinds of false rumors as to why," she tweeted last fall. She also threw cold water on reports on why she left, adding that, no, she does not have a skin care line, nor does she have beef with the network.
CBS
"Silicon Valley"
Comedian T.J. Miller left the HBO sitcom at the end of last season, and his only legacy in Season 5 are the pig ashes Jian Yang uses to convince the court he's dead. Showrunner Alec Berg told TheWrap last June that Miller's exit "was for the best" and that he thought it was time for the actor to move on. Miller told TheWrap that the cliffhanger ending to Season 4 felt like the perfect time to leave. But Miller's exit has been followed with accusations of sexual harassment against him (that he's denied), and his co-stars said he was often late, would fall asleep on set or even show up drunk.
HBO
Jeffrey Tambor was barred from returning to Amazon’s series “Transparent” for Season 5, the streamer said in mid-February.
The decision came after the conclusion of an investigation into accusations that the Emmy-winning actor sexually harassed three women, including Tambor's ex-assistant and transgender actress Van Barnes, “Transparent” actress Trace Lysette, and makeup artist Tamara Delbridge. Tambor denied the accusations.
Amazon
1 of 11
These shows have had major cast shakeups in recent months
"Lethal Weapon"
Actor Seann William Scott took over the role of Martin Riggs for the show's third season, which got the green light from Fox on May 13. A representative from Warner Bros. Television said the studio "decided not to renew Clayne Crawford’s contract for ‘Lethal Weapon'" after reports of bad behavior on set, described as "complaints of emotional abuse and creating a hostile environment."
Crawford apologized last month and wished the "Lethal Weapon" team luck on their third season without him. “To my cast and crew – CONGRATULATIONS on season 3!” Crawford wrote. “To the Fans – Thank you for the overwhelming support and love. Riggs was a dream role and the experience will live with me forever. My heart is full. Good Luck nxt season!!” he said on Instagram over the weekend.
"I take great pride in treating everyone in life with dignity and kindness," the 40-year-old actor said in April. "I am very grateful for my job, and I work extremely hard at it. I have a responsibility to do good work for my coworkers, my family, and my home state, and most especially for the fans. I hope they will stick with me and stick with the show."
Fox bosses said the decision to move ahead with a new season without Crawford was not their decision, but that of Warner Bros.
"Ultimately, our partners at Warner Bros. come to us about three weeks ago to tell us that they could not deliver ‘Lethal Weapon’ as we’ve known it before, that there were some real challenges in the cast. They thought long and hard about it. I know that was not their first choice,” said Dana Walden, Chairmen and CEO, Fox Television Group.
Ray Mickshaw/FOX
Netflix
