WORCESTER—Spectrum News has acquired New England Cable News in a deal that will reshape one of the region’s longest-running 24-hour news brands and expand Spectrum’s footprint across all six New England states.
The announcement, made on Wednesday by Spectrum News and its parent company Charter Communications, outlines an agreement with NECN and NBCUniversal for the acquisition of “substantially all the assets of NECN, including the network’s existing distribution agreements throughout New England,” according to the company’s release.
In the coming months, Spectrum’s existing news operations in Maine and Massachusetts will combine with NECN and rebrand as Spectrum News NECN. The newly combined network will be based in NECN’s Massachusetts studios and will continue to serve viewers across Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont.
“This agreement represents a significant milestone for Spectrum News as we grow our operation in New England and expand our viewership to additional markets across the country,” Mike Bair, executive vice president of Spectrum Networks, said in the announcement. “We look forward to building on a storied local news brand and honoring the importance of local news that serves communities throughout New England.”
Spectrum said it will assume NECN’s existing distribution agreements. The rebranded network remains available to current NECN distributors throughout New England. It will also be offered to Spectrum customers in Maine and Massachusetts and to Comcast’s Xfinity TV customers in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont.
NECN, launched in 1992, has long positioned itself as a regional cable news outlet covering New England politics, weather and breaking news. The acquisition signals further consolidation in the local television news landscape, where cable providers increasingly operate their own news divisions.
Spectrum News, which operates 24/7 local news and sports networks across the country, has expanded in recent years with new linear channels, a streaming platform called Spectrum News+, a Spanish-language network known as Spectrum Noticias, and a mobile app that the company says has more than 6 million downloads. Its content is also available through connected TV platforms including Xumo Stream Box, Roku and Apple TV.
Spectrum Networks is owned and operated by Charter Communications, a publicly traded broadband company that reports service availability to 58 million homes and businesses in 41 states.
Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed in the announcement. A timeline for the full transition to the Spectrum News NECN brand was also not specified beyond the coming months.
