21st Century Fox has cut a deal with Sinclair Broadcast Group and Tribune Media to buy seven major-market Fox affiliate stations for $910 million.

The deal had been expected. Sinclair (SBGI) needs to divest a number of stations as part of its pending acquisition of Tribune Media (TRCO). Fox had long eyed the stations, most of which are in lucrative NFL markets.

Local TV will be even more crucial to the financial performance of Fox once it completes the $52.4 billion sale of its studio and key cable assets to Disney.

The markets involved in the deal are: Seattle, Miami, Denver, Cleveland, San Diego, Sacramento, and Salt Lake City.

Jack Abernethy, CEO of Fox Television Stations, said: "This transaction illustrates Fox's commitment to local broadcasting and we are pleased to add these stations to our existing portfolio. With this acquisition, we will now compete in 19 of the top 20 markets and have a significantly larger presence in the west, which will enhance our already strong platform. This expansion will further enrich our valuable alignments with the NFL, including our new Thursday Night Football rights, MLB and college sports assets. We are also happy to add many talented Tribune employees to our group, some of whom we know well."