CBS gains retransmission leverage with New York duopoly

In a deal that could result for increased retransmission-consent fees for pay TV distributors in the New York area, CBS Television Stations said Monday afternoon that it signed a deal to acquire WLNY-TV.

The deal would give the CBS station group a duopoly in the nation's largest TV market, and additional leverage to squeeze additional fees from Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC), Comcast (Nasdaq: CMCSA), Cablevision (NYSE: CVC) and other distributors that license flagship WCBS-TV and WLNY-TV stations in the New York area.

CBS said it will own duopolies in 10 markets after the deal closes, including New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Dallas, San Francisco, Boston, Detroit, Miami, Sacramento and Pittsburgh. 

For more:
- see the CBS release

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