Vertical Bridge, one of the largest private owners and managers of wireless communications infrastructure in the U.S, today announced that it has signed an exclusive five-year agreement with Univision Communications Inc. (UCI) to manage a portfolio of 66 premium broadcast towers in key markets located across the United States. Terms of the private transaction were not disclosed.
Vertical Bridge’s portfolio of broadcast towers now exceeds 1,200 towers, and in total, the company owns or manages more than 45,000 sites including tower, rooftop, billboard, utility attachments and other site locations across the United States. The company’s geographic presence in key markets has expanded significantly over the last two years as the company has completed nearly 100 M&A transactions and key partnership agreements.
“We are excited to partner with Univision, which owns assets in key locations across the United States.” said Alex Gellman, CEO at Vertical Bridge. “These towers are all well-suited for deployment of broadcast, public safety, and wireless infrastructure. Additionally, as the tallest portfolio on average in the United States, Vertical Bridge’s sites are ideal for over the top (OTT) point to multi-point delivery of video and internet services.”
“Partnering with Vertical Bridge allows us to leverage their industry expertise to maximize the ROI on our owned tower portfolio, while we continue to focus our day-to-day broadcast operations in both TV & Radio,” said John Eck, Chief Local Media Officer at Univision Communications Inc. “This relationship with Vertical Bridge will help us maximize the value and flexibility of our communications infrastructure.”
The agreement with UCI is the latest in a string of broadcast asset agreements for Vertical Bridge. Other notable broadcast tower deals recently completed include agreements with or the purchase of assets from iHeartMedia, Townsquare Media, Alpha Media and Cherry Creek Radio.
For a complete listing of the nation’s largest tower owners, click here.