Scripps Networks

What Scripps Networks does

E.W. Scripps Company (referenced in the input as Scripps Networks) is a U.S. television broadcasting company headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, operating 54 local broadcast television stations across 36 markets, the ION network, and a newly launched free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channel called Scripps Sports Network. The company generates revenue from three primary streams: television advertising across broadcast and streaming platforms, carriage fees from cable, satellite, and streaming distributors, and licensing/broadcast rights fees from sports media properties. Its core technology stack consists of broadcast television infrastructure, FAST streaming distribution, and participation in the OpenAP consortium's standardized cross-publisher advertising API for audience-based buying and outcomes measurement.

Scripps has repositioned its portfolio around live sports content, with broadcast rights for the WNBA (as one of seven partners in a $3.1 billion, 11-year deal), the Nashville Predators (NHL), the Professional Women's Hockey League, the National Women's Soccer League, and Major League Volleyball. The company operates under hybrid segmentation spanning sports viewers (free over-the-air and FAST distribution), national advertisers (via OpenAP), and local TV audiences across its station footprint. Recent strategic moves include station divestitures (WRTV Indianapolis, Fort Myers station for $123M) to fund acquisitions (WTVQ Lexington for $15.8M) and the planned $54M re-acquisition of ION-affiliated stations from INYO Broadcast Holdings. The company is also subject to a takeover effort by Sinclair Broadcast Group, which acquired an 8.2% stake in November 2025. The E.W. Scripps Company is publicly traded on NASDAQ under ticker SSP; the input data contains legacy references to Scripps Networks Interactive (NASDAQ: SNI), the lifestyle media entity that was delisted following its acquisition.

Name

Scripps Networks

Legal name

The E.W. Scripps Company

Website

https://scrippsnetworksinteractive.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1848

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

E.W. Scripps Company operates 54 local broadcast TV stations across 36 U.S. markets, the ION network, and the Scripps Sports Network FAST streaming channel, monetizing through advertising, carriage fees, and sports broadcast rights.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Broadcast Television

NAICS

Television Broadcasting Stations (516120), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (5162), Spectator Sports (7112)

SIC

Television Broadcasting Stations (4833), Cable & Other Pay Television Services (4841)

akta.pro primary industry

National Sports Broadcast Networks (MPABAAAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sports Live Streaming Platforms (MPACACAF), Sports Cable Networks (MPABAFAD)

Keywords

• Broadcast television
• Local TV stations
• FAST streaming
• Sports media rights
• Television advertising

Headquarters

HQ city

Knoxville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Advertising Revenue: Primary revenue stream from TV advertising across broadcast stations, ION network, and streaming platforms. Nielsen data shows Scripps holds 1.6% of TV usage share.
2. Broadcast Rights Fees: Revenue from sports media rights deals including WNBA broadcast rights ($3.1B total deal with Scripps/Ion portion), NHL games, and other sports properties.
3. Carriage Fees: Fees received from cable, satellite, and streaming distributors for carriage of channels including ION and local stations. Subject to ongoing carriage negotiations with providers like DirecTV.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Scripps Networks operates a multi-platform television broadcasting portfolio consisting of local broadcast stations across 36 U.S. markets, the ION network carrying sports broadcast rights (WNBA), and the newly launched Scripps Sports Network free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channel focused on live sports. The company also produces and broadcasts the Scripps National Spelling Bee competition and participates in industry-wide advertising infrastructure through the OpenAP partnership for cross-publisher audience buying and outcomes measurement.

Product overview

Scripps Networks operates as part of the E.W. Scripps Company, offering a multi-platform broadcasting portfolio consisting of local television stations across 36 U.S. markets, the Ion Television network with sports broadcast rights (WNBA), the newly launched Scripps Sports Network free streaming channel, and the Scripps National Spelling Bee competition. The company participates in an OpenAP partnership for unified advertising infrastructure across nine major U.S. television publishers. The portfolio is undergoing strategic restructuring with ongoing station sales and acquisitions to optimize the local television footprint.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Scripps Sports Network Free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channel focused on live sports, streaming 100+ live events annually including Professional Women's Hockey League, National Women's Soccer League, and Major League Volleyball games, along with 100+ hours of WNBA content, with State Farm as founding advertising partner.
• Local Television Stations Owned and operated local broadcast television stations across 36 U.S. markets including Las Vegas, Miami, Detroit, and Tampa-St. Petersburg, delivering local news, sports, weather, and community programming over-the-air and via cable/satellite distributors.
• Ion Television Sports Broadcasting (WNBA Rights) ION Television network broadcasts WNBA games as part of a $3.1 billion, 11-year media rights agreement with seven broadcast partners, with Scripps carrying 216 of 330 nationally televised regular-season games in 2026.
• Scripps National Spelling Bee Annual spelling competition featuring 200+ spellers from all 50 U.S. states, U.S. territories, and other countries, broadcast as a flagship Scripps programming property with the 98th annual bee held May 26-28 at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C.

Quantifiable outcome

• WNBA viewership averaging 1.2 million viewers per game, outpacing NHL's 760,000 average
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• OpenAPcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 May 2026Nine major U.S. TV publishers including Scripps Networks partnered with OpenAP to create unified advertising infrastructure for audience buying across linear TV and streaming platforms. The initiative introduces standardized cross-publisher conversion API and new campaign workflows to connect first-party outcome data with campaign exposure data through a single integration point. Publishers began phased pilot with select advertisers, agencies, and attribution providers.
• WNBAflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 May 2026Scripps (Ion) is one of seven broadcast partners in expanded WNBA media rights deal worth $3.1 billion over 11 years, up from original $2.2 billion. The deal averages $281 million annually with Scripps broadcasting WNBA games as part of record 216 nationally televised games in 2026 season.
• Nashville PredatorscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 8 April 2026Nashville Predators signed multi-year media rights agreement with Scripps Sports to provide over-the-air access to all preseason, regular season, and first-round playoff games not exclusively earmarked for national broadcasts. Starting next season, fans can watch games free on WTVF NewsChannel 5 and The Spot - Nashville 28, with additional availability via cable, satellite, and streaming.
• State FarmflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 23 March 2026State Farm signed as the founding advertising partner for Scripps Sports Network, the new free ad-supported streaming television channel launching March 24. The partnership supports Scripps' growing presence in women's sports and the rapidly expanding FAST streaming market, with State Farm gaining exclusive founding partner status.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/scrippsnet
• Facebookfacebook.com/scripps.networks.interactive
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/165888

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A9 records

Investments13 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Scripps Networks