The E.W. Scripps Company (Scripps), a diverse media enterprise, serving audiences and businesses through a portfolio of local television stations and national news and entertainment networks.
All of the company’s businesses also have digital presences across online, mobile, connected television and social platforms, reaching consumers on all devices and platforms they use to consume content. The company’s media businesses are organized into the following reportable segments: Local Media, Scripp...
The E.W. Scripps Company (Scripps), a diverse media enterprise, serving audiences and businesses through a portfolio of local television stations and national news and entertainment networks.
All of the company’s businesses also have digital presences across online, mobile, connected television and social platforms, reaching consumers on all devices and platforms they use to consume content. The company’s media businesses are organized into the following reportable segments: Local Media, Scripps Networks and Other.
The company serves audiences and businesses through a portfolio of more than 60 local television stations in more than 40 markets and national news and entertainment networks. The company’s local stations have programming agreements with ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX. The Scripps Networks reach nearly every American through national news outlets Scripps News and Court TV, and popular entertainment brands ION, Bounce, Grit, ION Mystery, ION Plus, and Laff. The company also serves as the longtime steward of one of the nation's largest, most successful, and longest-running educational programs, the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Additionally, the company provides a television viewing device called Tablo that allows households to watch and record dozens of free, over-the-air, and streaming channels anywhere in their home without a subscription.
Scripps is a leader in free, ad-supported television. All of the company’s local stations and national entertainment networks reach consumers over the air, and all of its television brands can also be found on free streaming platforms. The company has continued to expand in the fast-growing connected television marketplace, and it is leveraging its leadership position in the growing over-the-air marketplace. One in three non-pay-TV homes is watching television over the air alongside their streaming subscription services, and as cord-cutting and streaming service price increases continue, over-the-air channels will be an important part of television viewers' choices. To that end, Scripps continues efforts to broaden antenna use even more and is working with key partners in retail, manufacturing, and antenna installation to help television owners understand the quality and quantity of programming available over the air, and the ease of antenna use.
In January 2023, the company announced a strategic restructuring and reorganization to further leverage its strong position in the U.S. television ecosystem and propel its growth across new distribution platforms and emerging media marketplaces. The strategic restructuring and reorganization created a leaner and more agile operating structure through the centralization of certain services and the consolidation of layers of management across its operating businesses and corporate office. This initial reorganization of the operating structure was substantially completed by the end of the 2024 second quarter. The company has also continued to identify efficiency opportunities within the functional departments of its organization, which resulted in additional restructuring charges over the last two quarters of 2024.
In April 2024, the company began a public process to explore the sale of its Bounce multi-cast television network. Bounce, which is available in approximately 95% of the U.S. television broadcast homes, broadcasts a combination of syndicated shows, movies, and original content that is created for Black audiences.
On July 2, 2024, the company announced a multi-year agreement with the National Hockey League's Florida Panthers (‘Panthers’), which began with the 2024-2025 season. Under the new agreement, the company has the ability to televise all locally produced Panthers preseason, regular-season, and round one games of the postseason, with distribution on cable, satellite, and over-the-air television.
On September 27, 2024, the company announced plans to significantly reduce Scripps News' national network programming beginning in the fourth quarter of 2024. As of November 15, 2024, Scripps News was no longer broadcast over the air, although it remained on streaming and digital platforms with weekday live coverage from the field.
In January 2025, the company announced the formation of a joint venture with Gray Media, Nexstar Media Group, Inc., and Sinclair, Inc. Leveraging broadcasters’ uniquely efficient network architecture and the ATSC 3.0 transmission standard, EdgeBeam Wireless, LLC will provide expansive, reliable, and secure data delivery services. This partnership creates a spectrum footprint that no individual broadcaster could achieve on its own, unlocking the potential of ATSC 3.0 to offer nationwide coverage for data delivery to billions of potential devices on market-disrupting terms.
Segments
Local Media segment
The company’s Local Media segment includes more than 60 local television stations and their related digital operations. The company has operated broadcast television stations since 1947, when it launched Ohio’s first television station, WEWS, in Cleveland. The company’s television station group reaches approximately 25% of the nation’s television households and includes 18 ABC affiliates, 11 NBC affiliates, nine CBS affiliates, and four FOX affiliates. The company also has 11 independent stations and 10 additional low-power stations.
The company provides free over-the-air news, information, sports, and entertainment content that informs and engages its local communities. It distributes its content on multiple platforms, including broadcast, digital, mobile, social, and over-the-top (‘OTT’). The company’s ability to cover its communities across various digital platforms allows it to expand its audiences beyond traditional broadcast television.
In addition to news programming, the company’s television stations run network programming, local sporting events, syndicated programming, and original programming. The company’s strategy is to balance syndicated programming with original programming that it controls. The company also provides live, local sporting events on many of its stations by acquiring local television broadcast rights for these events.
Revenue Cycles and Sources
Core Advertising
The company’s core advertising consists of sales to local and national businesses. The advertising includes a combination of broadcast spots, as well as digital and connected TV advertising. The company’s core advertising revenues accounted for 33% of its Local Media segment’s revenues in 2024.
Local advertising time is sold by each station’s local sales staff calling upon advertising agencies and local businesses, which typically include advertisers, such as car dealerships, health-care facilities, home improvement companies, and other service providers. The company seeks to attract new advertisers to its television stations and to increase the amount of advertising sold to existing local advertisers by relying on experienced local sales forces with strong community ties, producing news and other programming with local advertising appeal, and sponsoring or promoting local events and activities.
National advertising time is generally sold by calling upon advertising agencies, whose clients typically include businesses, such as automobile manufacturers and dealer groups, telecommunications companies, and insurance providers.
Digital revenues are primarily generated from the sale of advertising to local and national customers on the company’s business websites, tablet and mobile products, over-the-top apps, and other platforms.
Cyclical factors influence revenues from the company’s core advertising categories. Some of the cycles are periodic and known well in advance, such as election campaign seasons and special programming events (e.g., the Olympics or the Super Bowl). For example, the company’s NBC affiliates benefit from incremental advertising demand from the coverage of the Olympics. Economic cycles are less predictable and beyond its control.
Due to increased demand in the spring and holiday seasons, the second and fourth quarters normally have higher advertising revenues than the first and third quarters.
Political Advertising
Political advertising is generally sold through the company’s Washington, D.C. sales office. Advertising is sold to presidential, gubernatorial, the U.S. Senate, and House of Representative candidates, as well as for state races and local issues. It is also sold to political action groups (PACs) and other advocacy groups.
Political advertising revenues increase significantly during even-numbered years when local, state, and federal elections occur. In addition, every four years, political spending is typically elevated further due to the advertising for the presidential election. Because of the cyclical nature of each political election cycle, there has been a significant difference in its operating results when comparing the performance in even-numbered years to that in odd-numbered years. Additionally, the company’s operating results are impacted by the number, importance, and competitiveness of individual political races and issues discussed in its local markets.
Distribution Revenues
The company earns revenues from cable operators, satellite carriers, other multi-channel video programming distributors (collectively ‘MVPDs’), other online video distributors, and subscribers for access rights to the company’s local broadcast signals. Distribution revenues were 46% of its Local Media segment's revenues in 2024. These arrangements are generally governed by multi-year contracts, and the fees the company receives are typically based on the number of subscribers the respective distributor has in its markets, and the contracted rate per subscriber. During 2023, the company completed renewal negotiations on distribution agreements covering approximately 75% of its subscriber households.
Scripps Networks segment
The company’s Scripps Networks segment includes national news outlets Scripps News and Court TV, as well as popular entertainment brands ION, Bounce, Grit, ION Mystery, ION Plus, and Laff. The networks reach nearly every U.S. television home through free over-the-air broadcast, cable/satellite, connected TV, and/or digital distribution.
The segment generates revenue principally from the sale of advertising time on the national television networks. Advertising revenue generated by the company’s networks depends on viewership ratings and advertising rates paid by advertisers for delivery of advertisements to certain viewer demographics. Advertising revenue is sold in the upfront, scatter (together called general market), direct response, and connected TV markets. In the upfront market, advertisers buy advertising time for upcoming seasons, and by committing to purchase in advance, they lock in the advertising rates they will pay for the upcoming year. In the scatter market, advertisers buy their spots closer to the time when the spots will run. The mix of upfront and scatter market advertising time sold is based upon the economic conditions at the time the sales take place, impacting the sell-out levels management is willing or able to obtain.
Revenue from advertising is subject to seasonality, market-based variations, and general economic conditions. Due to increased demand in the spring and holiday seasons, the second and fourth quarters normally have higher advertising revenues than the first and third quarters. The company’s over-the-air (‘OTA’) television networks are well-positioned to capitalize on cord-cutting trends and provide a platform for delivering mass audiences to national advertisers.
ION
The company’s ION national television network is available in nearly 99% of the U.S. television broadcast homes. It is available through its owned and operated OTA broadcast TV stations, on pay TV platforms, and independent broadcast affiliates that carry the ION programming. ION broadcasts popular scripted crime and justice procedural programming and has the fifth-largest average prime-time audience among all broadcast networks on television. ION generally elects government-mandated must-carry provisions, thereby ensuring its programming is available on cable and satellite systems. ION is available as a free advertising-supported streaming television (‘FAST’) channel with distribution across multiple streaming services.
Bounce
Bounce is available in approximately 95% of the U.S. television broadcast homes. Bounce is an African American broadcast network dedicated to inspiring, empowering, and entertaining viewers. Bounce programming represents a rich mosaic of the African American community, featuring both licensed and original dramas, sitcoms, movies, and specials. Original programming includes the hit series Johnson and Mind Your Business. Bounce XL is available as either an app or FAST channel with distribution on multiple streaming services.
Court TV
Court TV is available in approximately 93% of the U.S. television broadcast homes. Court TV is devoted to live, gavel-to-gavel coverage, in-depth legal reporting, and expert analysis of the nation's most important and compelling trials. Court TV is available as either an app or FAST channel with distribution on multiple streaming services.
Grit
Grit is available in approximately 98% of the U.S. television broadcast homes and appeals more strongly to male viewers. Grit’s programming lineup is primarily iconic Western series and movies. Grit Xtra is available as a FAST channel with distribution across multiple streaming services.
ION Mystery
ION Mystery is available in approximately 98% of the U.S. television broadcast homes, and its programming is anchored in popular true-crime and justice procedural programming. Programming on ION Mystery includes NCIS and CSI franchises. ION Mystery is available as a FAST channel with distribution across multiple streaming services.
ION Plus
ION Plus is available in approximately 92% of the U.S. television broadcast homes. The network features popular action and suspense programming that includes Hudson & Rex, Bull, MacGyver, and Scorpion. ION Plus is available as a FAST channel with distribution across multiple streaming platforms.
Laff
Laff is available in approximately 98% of the U.S. television broadcast homes and targets comedy-lovers in the 18 to 49 age range. Programming on Laff includes popular sitcoms, such as Home Improvement, Last Man Standing, Man with a Plan, and According to Jim. Laff More is available as a FAST channel with distribution across multiple streaming services.
Scripps News
Scripps News is the company’s national streaming news channel focused on bringing objective, fact-based reporting and analysis on world and national news, including politics, entertainment, science, and technology. In November 2024, the company stopped distribution of the channel on over-the-air television. Scripps News is available on multiple streaming and digital platforms as either an app or FAST channel. The network’s programming lineup includes The National Report, Morning Rush, Scripps News On The Scene, Happening Now In America, Today as it Happened, and Scripps News Showcase.
History
The E.W. Scripps Company was founded in 1878. The company was incorporated in 1987.