CBS Expands Its Foreign Broadcasting Portfolio

CBS Corporation (NYSE: CBS) is placing a bigger bet on Australian television with its acquisition of Network Ten, a channel that expands its existing foreign slate from Network One and Eleven.

The television and digital-asset company airs local content based on popular American series, such as “Family Feud,” “Shark Tank” and “The Bachelor,” as well as licensed shows like “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.”

With its purchase, CBS is building on an already underperforming international portfolio.

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By one analysis, Network Ten offered Australia’s 14th and 18th most-watched shows in 2016, while Network Seven and Network Nine dominated the rest of the top 20 spots. Network One and Eleven didn’t make the list.

The numbered Australian channels air packages blending cross-network American content, including shows from both Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ: CMCSA)’s NBC, Walt Disney Co (NYSE: DIS)’s ABC and Twenty-First Century Fox Inc (NASDAQ: FOXA)’s FOX.

While CBS’s international exposure is largely concentrated in Australia, its U.S. competitors have tapped into other foreign markets.

Twenty-First Century Fox

• Endemol Shine Group (50 percent share) in the Netherlands

• Sky plc (39.14 percent) with full ownership of the U.K., Ireland, Germany and Italy branches

• STAR TV in India

Walt Disney

• UTV Software Communications, including Bindass and Hungama TV

• Tele-Munich Television Media Participation Limited Partnership

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