Sinclair Broadcast Group VP & co-COO Steve Pruett said that since buying Tennis Channel in January, the network has "more than exceeded the company's expectations in terms of distribution and has represented a 'substantial amount of value.'" Sinclair Exec VP & COO David Amy said that Tennis Channel "added about 1 million new subscribers through an earlier carriage deal with Charter Communications that becomes effective" this month (MULTICHANNEL.com, 8/3). Amy said the company was "able to contain expanded coverage of Tennis Channel, some of which will occur at the end of this year and some in the future" (CABLEFAX DAILY, 8/4).
BRANCHING OUT: The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Shalini Ramachandran noted Dish Network, as part of its carriage deal with NFL Network, will include the channel on its Sling TV streaming bundle. NFL Net's addition to Sling TV "comes on the heels of a string of digital deals" the league has struck in recent months, which include Sony's PlayStation Vue, YouTube, Twitter and Snapchat. The deals are part of a "concerted effort on the NFL's part to be in front of younger fans" (WSJ.com, 8/3).
MÁS GAUCHOS: MULTICHANNEL NEWS' Adam Jacobson reported the Cowboys "have struck a deal" TV deals with Azteca América that will make San Antonio-based KVDF, Dallas-based KDAF and Corpus Christi-based KYDF the official Spanish-language partners of the franchise. Under the two-year deal, the three stations will "telecast live, Cowboys-produced preseason games." Once the regular season kicks off, the stations will "air a monthly, Spanish-language edition" of "Cowboys Report" (MULTICHANNEL.com, 8/3).
