A curious group of affiliates took in CBS’ All Access presentation in Las Vegas, and most came away intrigued about the opportunities in partnering with the network on the live streaming initiative.
CBS announced recently that a dozen station groups were on board, representing 55% of U.S. households when coupled with CBS’ owned stations. But Michael Fiorile, affiliates board chairman, warned that it will be some time before full-scale buy-in occurs. “I’d characterize the meeting as positive, but affiliates are still learning what it’s about,” he said. “It’s a lot to comprehend.”
Affiliates have to make the investment in Syncbak, the platform driving the $5.99 a month service, to make it work. According to the blanket deal, stations get 59 cents per subscriber, which ramps up commensurate to the subscriber base. While the affiliates board has signaled that they’re pleased with the framework that was negotiated, station chiefs are penciling out the numbers to see if there’s money to be made.
The slogan at the closed 90-minute meeting at the Wynn read “Move Into Digital Together”, and the station partners were warm to the idea of working alongside the network to increase their collective reach. “There’s a lot of settling to do, but anything that increases distribution is a good thing,” said one senior group exec who asked to remain nameless.
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