Sinclair Broadcast Group Acquisition of Tribune Media: Competitive and Regulatory Issues Updated July 18, 2017 Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov R44892 Sinclair Acquisition of Tribune Media: Competitive and Regulatory Issues Summary On May 8, 2017, Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc. announced that it agreed to acquire the Tribune Media Company for $6.6 billion, including $3.9 billion for Tribune’s stock, and the assumption of $2.7 billion of Tribune’s debt. The transaction, if approved by shareholders and the U.S. government, would make Sinclair the nation’s largest television broadcast company, giving it access to a far larger share of U.S. households than any other television broadcaster. Both the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) must approve Sinclair’s transactions before they can close. The DOJ is to review the transaction to ensure that it will not substantially reduce competition. The FCC is to review whether the transaction would (1) violate FCC broadcast media ownership rules and (2) serve the public interest. The Sinclair-Tribune transaction potentially runs afoul of two FCC rules regarding broadcast ownership: local television ownership rules (sometimes referred to as the “duopoly” rules), which limit common ownership of television stations serving the same geographic region; and the FCC’s national television ownership rules, which cap the reach of a single company’s television stations to 39% of U.S. television households. Recent rule and policy changes determining how the FCC defines ownership and television household reach, however, may allow Sinclair to own and/or operate more Tribune stations than it might otherwise. In February 2017, the FCC’s Media Bureau rescinded previous guidance that it would closely scrutinize any proposed transactions that included certain types of operational and financial agreements between two separately owned stations. In April 2017, the FCC reversed a previous decision to eliminate the “UHF discount,” which discounts by half the total number of television viewers reached by UHF stations for the purpose of enforcing its national ownership rule. Sinclair is the largest producer of local news in the country. If government agencies approve Sinclair’s acquisition of Tribune without modifications, the 233 stations that would be owned or operated by Sinclair could reach 72% of the 114.7 million households receiving television over- the-air or via cable or satellite. The two companies own or operate stations in 14 common markets. Current FCC ownership rules address the overlaps in 12 of those 14 markets. Nevertheless, current FCC rules do not preclude Sinclair from entering into operational and financial agreements with third-party stations in two of those 12 markets: Wilkes-Barre, PA, and Norfolk-Portsmouth-Newport News, VA. The DOJ might preclude such arrangements on antitrust grounds. The ability of broadcast television stations to produce and distribute local news sets them apart from other electronic media, such as online video distributors, national television networks, and cable and satellite operators. Thus, in addition to the traditional competition analysis that both the DOJ and FCC are to undertake when reviewing the Sinclair-Tribune transaction, the potential scale and scope of Sinclair’s news operations will require a public interest review by the FCC. Congressional Research Service Sinclair Acquisition of Tribune Media: Competitive and Regulatory Issues Contents Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1 Background of the Transaction ........................................................................................................ 1 Recent FCC Actions Enabling Merger ...................................................................................... 4 End of Incentive Auction “Quiet Period” ........................................................................... 4 Rescission of Media Bureau’s Sidecar Policy Statement ................................................... 4 Reinstatement of UHF Discount ......................................................................................... 5 Regulatory Review .......................................................................................................................... 6 Antitrust Concerns .................................................................................................................... 6 Communications Law Concerns ............................................................................................... 6 Related FCC Local Media Ownership Rules .................................................................................. 8 Local Radio Ownership Rules .................................................................................................. 8 Radio/Television Cross-Ownership Rules ................................................................................ 9 Local Television Ownership Rules............................................................................................ 9 Related FCC Attribution Rules ...................................................................................................... 15 Joint Sales Agreements ........................................................................................................... 15 Sharing Agreements ................................................................................................................ 15 Tribune’s Sidecar Stations....................................................................................................... 16 DOJ Versus FCC Treatment of Sidecar Divestitures ............................................................... 17 Sinclair-Tribune Transaction ................................................................................................... 18 Related National FCC Media Ownership Rules ............................................................................ 19 Impact on Sinclair’s Mergers and Acquisitions ...................................................................... 19 Bonten Media .................................................................................................................... 19 Tribune Media ................................................................................................................... 19 Issues for Consideration .......................................................................................................... 20 Public Interest Analysis ................................................................................................................. 21 Figures Figure 1. TV Industry Snapshot ...................................................................................................... 3 Figure 2. Sinclair-Tribune Overlap Markets ................................................................................. 10 Figure 3. Sinclair-Tribune East Coast Overlap Markets ................................................................. 11 Tables Table 1. Local TV Ownership (Duopoly) Rules ............................................................................ 12 Table 2. Markets Where FCC Rules Would Allow Sinclair to Purchase Tribune Stations Despite Overlaps ........................................................................................................................ 13 Table 3. Markets Where FCC Rules Would Not Allow Sinclair to Purchase Tribune Stations Due to Overlaps ............................................................................................................ 14 Table 4. Markets Where FCC Rules Could Permit Sinclair’s Operation of Stations Currently Operated, but Not Owned by, Tribune ....................................................................... 17 Table 5. Sinclair’s Reach of U.S. Television Households ............................................................. 20 Congressional Research Service Sinclair Acquisition of Tribune Media: Competitive and Regulatory Issues Table A-1. Pre-Merger Joint Sales and Shared Services Agreements ........................................... 23 Table A-2. Chronology of National Broadcast Ownership and UHF Discount Rules .................. 25 Appendixes Appendix. ...................................................................................................................................... 23 Contacts Author Information ....................................................................................................................... 27 Congressional Research Service Sinclair Acquisition of Tribune Media: Competitive and Regulatory Issues Introduction On May 8, 2017, Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc. announced that it agreed to acquire the Tribune Media Company for $6.6 billion. The transaction, if approved by shareholders and the U.S. government, would make Sinclair the nation’s largest television broadcast company, giving it access to a far larger share of U.S. households than any other television broadcaster.1 The extent of the combined company’s reach is a matter of dispute because, in addition to owning television stations, Sinclair is a party to numerous agreements to share services with other station owners in markets where Sinclair owns stations, as well as in two markets where it does not own stations. In evaluating the proposed transaction, federal authorities are likely to consider whether these shared services