The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Austen Hufford reports Sinclair Broadcast Group has "reached deals to sell nearly two dozen television stations as it works to get regulators to sign off on its purchase of Tribune Media." Sinclair said that the "move to sell the 23 stations in 18 markets" was needed to "obtain government approval" for the $3.9B purchase of Tribune. Standard Media is buying nine stations for $441.7M, while Meredith is buying a station for $65M. N.Y.-based WPIX-CW, which airs Yankess games, will "remain with Sinclair following the close of the transaction" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 4/25).
RESOLVING ISSUES: A settlement has been "hammered out by lawyers" for NeuLion, the UFC and PPV buyers who "faced technical problems while trying to view" the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Conor McGregor fight in August. The agreement "provides tiered refunds ranging from $25 for those who missed a portion of the preliminary bouts to $99.99 for fans who missed more than 5 minutes of the main bout." The settlement also "provides one to three months of free access to UFC Fight Pass or a $5 cash payment as compensation for viewing party expenses" (NEWSDAY, 4/25).
SHOW ME THE MONEY: Fox' Troy Aikman "wants a raise" if he calls the "TNF" package "on top of his traditional Sunday afternoon game duties." Aikman and Joe Buck are "expected to cherry-pick the best TNF games and let other Fox announcers call some games here and there" due to Buck's MLB postseason obligations (SPORTINGNEWS.com, 4/24).
