NBCUniversal continues to ink sprawling carriage deals with distributors that include fees for local stations it owns, helping it cement a new revenue stream. A rights agreement with Verizon gives the telcoTV operator rights to NBC-owned stations in markets it serves with FiOS, along with a slew of other properties.
Those include more than a dozen national cable networks, as well as Comcast SportsNet properties in the Boston, Philadelphia and Washington areas.
NBCU seems to have an emerging blueprint for its deals, having recently signed a similar arrangement with Cablevision and being close to announcing one with DirecTV, according to the Los Angeles Times. (That deal may leave out one regional sports network.)
Broad TV Everywhere rights, including access to NBCU programming live across multiple devices outside the home, is part of the Verizon deal. It is set to launch in 2013. There are also some Olympic rights that Verizon apparently did not have.
Comcast-controlled NBCU has made increasing carriage dollars -- or retrans consent fees -- for its owned stations part of its appeal to Wall Street as a growth driver. Networks are collecting retrans dollars for their stations and a portion of the money their affiliates are bringing in.
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