FOX: Retrans Could 'Fix' Broadcast Model

News Corp. chief operating officer Chase Carey said that the media giant is on the cusp of a retransmission-consent revenue windfall that could ultimately fix the broken broadcasting model.

"It [retrans] puts us on a course where we can generate the profits we should if we run a good network," Carey said. "Simplistically you could say it fixes it. It certainly puts it in a competitive place where it has a dual revenue stream like successful cable networks do and those that it increasingly competes with."

He said that News Corp's owned- and-operated stations have completed retransmission-consent deals with two of the top 10 distributors. Carey estimated that about half of News Corp.'s station deals will expire in the next two years, not including similar deals that will run out for its affiliate stations. News Corp. has expressed a desire to get involved in those negotiations too.