Byron Allen’s Entertainment Studios on Tuesday announced a deal to acquire 11 broadcast television stations from USA Television Holdings LLC and USA Television MidAmerica Holdings LLC for $290 million.
Allen’s Allen Media Broadcasting division is acquiring the broadcast stations, which cover nine smaller markets such as Huntsville, Alabama, Fort Wayne, Indiana, Chico-Redding, Calif., and Eugene, Oregon. The stations will continue to be managed by the current team of USA TV and Heartland Media.
Allen has been on a buying spree in recent years, building a portfolio of film and TV companies. In addition to producing and distributing film and TV shows — with 64 shows currently on the air — he owns nine 24-hour HD television networks now serving nearly 160 million subscribers, including The Weather Channel television network and its streaming service Local Now.
In August, he partnered with Sinclair Broadcast Group to acquire 21 Regional Sports Networks (RSNs) from Walt Disney/Fox Corporation for $10.6 billion. In July 2019, he acquired Bayou City Broadcasting, which included four television stations in Evansville, Indiana (WEVV/CBS and WEEV/FOX) and Lafayette, Louisiana (KLAF/NBC & KADN/FOX) for $165 million.
“I have known Byron Allen for decades and we are delighted that these stations will now be part of his dynamic company, and that Heartland management will continue to guide them,” USA Television CEO Robert S. Prather Jr. said in a statement. “These stations are dedicated to their local communities and this transaction will enable them to become even stronger on both their broadcast and digital platforms.”
“Bob Prather is an excellent broadcaster and he has done a brilliant job of assembling a stellar management team to operate these very strong network affiliate broadcast stations,” Allen said. “This is another milestone for our company, as we have now agreed to purchase our second broadcast network affiliate station group within the past three months, and continue to aggressively look for other opportunities to grow our global media company through strategic acquisitions.”