Sinclair raises guidance with Q3 political ad revenue of $136M, up 55% from Q3 2022, net income of $43M vs. a $1M loss in Q3 2025, revenue up 16% YoY to $893M

Sinclair rides record political ad spend to strong third-quarter growth. Nov 4, 2026 | Paige Albiniak [mai_preferred_source] Buoyed by a 55% surge in political advertising and robust live sports viewership, Sinclair Broadcast Group reported a 16% jump in total revenue to $893 million, easily surpassing its full-year guidance. Sinclair Broadcast Group sang a now familiar song in its third quarter earnings report on Wednesday, the day after the historic 2026 midterm elections. Driven by record-setting spending on political advertising, total revenue climbed 16% year over year to $893 million while EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) improved 113% to $213 million. Political advertising on its own increased to $136 million, up 55% compared to the same period in the 2022 midterms. Sinclair expects to close out the year with approximately $455 million in total political revenue, far exceeding the $375 million in guidance that the company set in August. That is a 12% increase compared to the presidential election in 2024 and a 37% increase compared to 2022, COO-President of Local Media Rob Weisbord said. "Local broadcast television remains a premier destination for political advertising as AdImpact estimates broadcast taking 51% of total video political advertising market share in 3Q26," Sinclair said. Connected TV - including such services as Tubi, Pluto TV and Hulu - has been taking a larger portion of broadcast's share of political advertising every year, but broadcasters are still raking in the majority of the money, according to this year's results. Like its broadcast counterparts, Sinclair also is benefiting from robust NFL audiences, which are up 4% compared to last year and averaging 18.4 million viewers per broadcast, Weisbord said. In addition, college football viewership is up 2% compared to last year. "The broadcast position as the prime outlet for appointment viewing windows, particularly with live sports, remains more dominant than ever," Weisbord said. Distribution revenue stayed steady, improving 1% year over year to $426 million "reflecting continued stabilization of churn," Sinclair CEO Chris Ripley said on Wednesday's call. Ripley specifically attributed that stabilization to offerings by Charter Communications, which closed on its $34.5 billion merger of Cox in August, and DirecTV. Both MVPDs (multichannel video programming distributors) have moved toward offering "skinny" broadcast and live cable network packages with popular streaming services bundled together at one price. "It's a strategy that works. It's helping us. It's helping the industry, and it is having an impact on churn," Ripley said, noting that he hopes other MVPDs adopt similar sales strategies. Sinclair also has decided not to spin off its Ventures unit, which includes such non-broadcast assets as Tennis Channel, private equity holdings, real estate assets and specialized media and technology businesses. "Separating out Ventures would create value, but it would also reduce strategic flexibility. And so, we concluded that we wouldn't spin on a standalone basis, but a spin merge is still a priority," Ripley said. Sinclair was considering the spin-off as a way to unlock value that would allow it to pursue a larger merger with another major broadcast player. Sinclair tried to merge with E. W. Scripps Co. late last year, but Scripps refused to participate. A new potential partner has as yet failed to materialize but the company is still pursuing such opportunities, Ripley said. "While we believe in transformational M&A for the broadcast industry, we have also been continuing our ongoing strategies to optimize our station portfolio," he continued, "We have acquired stations in various markets from other broadcasters as well as our JSA [joint sales agreements] station partners throughout this year, and we believe the potential for larger station swaps with other broadcasters is significant." Ripley noted that the M&A market is still being stifled by the delay of the Nexstar-Tegna merger due to an ongoing federal antitrust lawsuit brought by DirecTV and a coalition of state attorneys general and a court-ordered preliminary injunction. That said, Ripley remains optimistic that some sort of deal will get done. With the FCC largely ridding the broadcast industry of all remaining ownership regulations, "the regulatory environment right now is as good as it's ever been. We're looking forward to market-optimization opportunities and the larger deal market freeing up here shortly," he said. Sinclair will finish 2026 with all of its renewals with ABC, CBS - and soon - Fox completed. Next year, the company will negotiate retransmission consent deals with all major MVPDs that carry its stations, Ripley said. "The payments we give to the networks need to be rebalanced vis-a-vis the revenue on streaming. Since our last round of renewals, all of the networks have streaming platforms, there needs to be a rebalancing of what is paid for by the streaming side of the house versus the broadcast side. We are having very good success bringing that to the networks in those negotiations," Ripley said. All broadcasters know that 2027 will be a largely fallow year, especially compared to the political and live-sports blockbuster that 2026 has turned out to be. "We know the dilemma that's in front of us, we have strategic plans in place to generate revenue and not just solely rely on the spot business," Weisbord said. Moreover, the 2028 presidential election is right around the corner. "The strong political advertising momentum is expected to carry into the 2028 presidential cycle with dual open presidential primaries for the first time since 2016. We expect early and aggressive spending as both parties will want to introduce a new name nationally," the company said. About mark K. Miller. Mark K. Miller began covering the television industry in 1975 when he joined Broadcasting magazine as an editorial assistant, becoming a staff writer. He moved to editing, becoming managing editor of the renamed Broadcasting & Cable in 1991. Mark left B&C at the end of 1998, but continued his association with the company as managing editor of B&C's new monthly tabloid magazine, Digital Television, until it ceased publication in December 1999. Mark worked with Harry Jessell to launch TVNewsCheck in 2006 (as TVNewsday) and has been its managing editor since then. He can be reached at [email protected].

Sinclair names Jennifer Lopez to Vice President and General Manager of Boise television stations. 11.02.2026 15-Year Sinclair Veteran to Lead KBOI, KYUU and KNIN BOISE, Idaho - November 2, 2026 - Sinclair today announced the promotion of Jennifer Lopez to Vice President and General Manager of KBOI, KYUU and KNIN in Boise, Idaho, effective immediately. Lopez, a 15-year Sinclair veteran, returns to Boise after serving as General Sales Manager of KOMO/KUNS in Seattle, Washington, since 2023. In her new role, she will oversee station operations, strategic planning, sales and community engagement across Sinclair's Boise television stations. "Jennifer is a proven leader with a strong track record of driving results, building relationships and developing successful teams," said Rob Weisbord, Chief Operating Officer and President of Local Media, Sinclair. "Her deep understanding of the Boise market, combined with her experience leading the stations in Seattle, makes her exceptionally well-suited for this role. Jennifer knows these stations, understands the community, and brings leadership and vision to build on their success. We are excited to welcome her back to Boise." Lopez began her career with Sinclair in 2011 as an Account Executive at FOX21/SOCO in Colorado Springs, Colorado. In 2014, she transferred to KBOI/KYUU in Boise as a Senior Account Executive and was promoted to Digital Sales Manager in 2017. She was then elevated to General Sales Manager of KOMO/KUNS in Seattle in 2023. "Boise has always been a special place for me, both personally and professionally, and I'm excited to return in this new role," said Lopez. "Having spent nearly a decade with these stations earlier in my career, I know firsthand the talent and dedication of the people who work here. I look forward to reconnecting with the team, strengthening our relationships in the community and building on the stations' success." About Sinclair: Sinclair, Inc. (Nasdaq: SBGI) is a diversified media company and a leading provider of local news and sports. The Company owns, operates and/or provides services to 181 television stations in 79 markets affiliated with all major broadcast networks; owns Tennis Channel, the premium destination for tennis enthusiasts; and multicast networks CHARGE, Comet, ROAR, and The Nest. Sinclair's content portfolio includes AMP Media, which produces a growing slate of original programming across multiple platforms. For more information, please visit www.sbgi.net.