CBS is now dealing with sexual-misconduct allegations against Les Moonves, its CEO, as well as an openly testy relationship with majority owner National Amusements. Perhaps for the near term, Viacom's outlook might be more positive.

Young TV news viewership continues to grow in importance as traditional TV platforms amp up their content efforts. These viewers may need a reason to a bigger push to watch traditional vs. digital platforms.

That said, overall media time for all adults is rising. For advertisers, there would seem to be a big opportunity. But as we all know, media users seek more ad-avoidance efforts across all platforms.

Charles Koch recently told reporters that his network -- which is estimated to contribute some $400 million in political marketing heft for the upcoming midterms -- may spend less backing GOP candidates in the future.