VMVPD Revenue Increasingly Vital, Hearst Tells Rosenworcel

This year is proving to be "very difficult" for local ad revenue, said Hearst Television President Jordan Wertlieb in a teleconference Friday with acting FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel, per a filing posted Tuesday in docket 18-349. Retransmission consent revenue is increasingly important for stations to provide local content such as news, the company said. With more consumers streaming and traditional MVPD subscribers declining, revenue from “virtual MVPDs” has risen in importance, the filing said: “vMVPDs are generally unwilling to carry independent stations to the disadvantage of local viewers.”