The big headline out of Mediacom this week was its new
retrans deal with NBCU thatincluded TV Everywhere online content, but there was more to the story,
both in terms of over-the-top and getting over the hump with a number of
station agreements.
The twelfth-ranked (according to NCTA) cable operator with
more than a million subs, also struck either new or add-on over-the-top content
deals with Turner Broadcasting, Big Ten Network and Fox Broadcasting's Fox.com.
Also new is a retrans deal with Sinclair -- notable since Mediacomand Sinclair have had some troubles in the past -- that avoids any
eleventh-hour haggling. The deal was up Dec. 31.
With the NBC and Sinclair deals, combined with ones struck
over the past several months with Capitol, Citadel, Coronet, Local TV, Media
General and Quincy, the company has lined up retrans renewals for the vast
majority of station groups with deals coming due, said a source, though there
is always a possibility of some down-to-the wire dealing with remaining
minority.
And boosting its Spanish-language content, Mediacom has
recently struck deals with Azteca International, Multimedios, Olympusat and
others, which will go into a new Spanish-language tier, Mediacom Canales
Latinos.
