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Tag: Scripps

  • Derek Chang Named president & CEO of Liberty Media

    Derek Chang Named president & CEO of Liberty Media

    MUMBAI: The John Malone-headed Liberty Media Corp has announced the appointment of veteran media, sports, and entertainment executive Derek Chang as its president&  CEO, effective 1  February  2025.

    Chang, a Liberty Media board member since 2021, brings extensive experience from leadership roles at the NBA, DirecTV, Scripps, and EverPass Media, among others. Liberty Media  chairman John Malone, will serve as interim CEO until Chang assumes the role.

    “I am thrilled to welcome Derek as CEO,” said Malone. “His deep industry expertise and leadership make him the ideal choice to guide Liberty’s next chapter.”

    Chang expressed enthusiasm for the opportunity, stating his focus will be on optimising Liberty Media’s portfolio and advancing key assets like Formula 1 and MotoGP.

    Chang will join the Liberty Media board’s executive committee alongside Malone, Dob Bennett, and Chase Carey.

    Liberty Media operates interests in media, sports, and entertainment businesses, including Formula 1 and Live Nation.

  • Discovery promotes Scripps programming execs

    Discovery promotes Scripps programming execs

    MUMBAI: Discovery’s recent acquisition of Scripps Networks Interactive (SNI) has brought about two top-level executive bump-ups for the broadcast behemoth. 

    In the US, Discovery has promoted two programming executives to top roles across lifestyle networks HGTV and Food Network, which it acquired as part of its purchase of SNI.

    Allison Page, a 17-year veteran of SNI, where she was general manager of US programming and development, has been named president of HGTV and Food Network.

    Courtney White, meanwhile, has been promoted to executive VP of HGTV and Food Network, reporting to Page, having previously been senior VP of programming for Travel Channel, Food Network and Cooking Channel.

    The Knoxville-based execs will work under chief lifestyle brands officer Kathleen Finch, who was upped to her role earlier this year when Discovery unveiled its new management structure following the purchase of SNI.

    Page joined Food Network in 2001 and spent many years developing primetime series. She oversees all programming and development for HGTV and Food Network, as well as their related brands DIY Network, Cooking Channel and Great American Country.

    White is responsible for facilitating original programming ideas, identifying new on-air talent and general programme development for the networks. Before joining SNI in 2005, she was director of development and senior producer at Working Dog Productions.

    Also Read:

    A+E Networks makes top-level APAC appointments

    Discovery buys Scripps for $14.6 bn, to net 20% of US ad-pay-TV subs

  • Discovery Communications to move global headquarters to New York

    Discovery Communications to move global headquarters to New York

    MUMBAI: Discovery Communications, in a recent release, has announced plans to relocate its global headquarters from Silver Spring, Maryland, to New York City in 2019. Contingent upon the closing of the company’s acquisition of Scripps Networks Interactive, Discovery also will establish a National Operations Headquarters at Scripps’ current campus in Knoxville, Tennessee.

    “The media industry is rapidly evolving, increasingly global, more consumer focused and more multi-platform and Discovery must evolve with it,” said Discovery’s president and CEO David Zaslav, announcing the changes first to employees. “The decision to move our global headquarters from its founding home is one we do not make lightly. We remain unwavering in our support of the Maryland and Greater Washington, DC area and we thank the leadership of the State of Maryland, Montgomery County and, most importantly, our employees for their cooperation and understanding as we make this important next step for the long-term success of Discovery.”

    To take advantage of the proximity to business, investment and production partners in New York, the company will bring together all current Discovery and, pending closing of the transaction, Scripps employees currently located across several different facilities in New York in a new global headquarters. Planning for the space and location in New York is underway with an anticipated move to a new building by the second half of 2019.

    Following an in-depth financial and operational analysis, and based on the strengths, capabilities and advantages of the current Scripps Knoxville campus, the facility will become Discovery’s National Operations Headquarters pending closure of the transaction. Knoxville is a self-contained campus with many amenities and benefits for a National Operations Headquarters, including a low cost of living, and built-in facilities and operational capabilities. It will continue to house the major Scripps brands and creative digital teams along with corporate functions.

    Discovery’s state-of-the-art media distribution facility in Sterling, Virginia, which originates over 80 global feeds, will become a global technology centre.

    Founded in Landover, Maryland, in 1985, Discovery moved its global headquarters to Bethesda, Maryland in 1991 and then to its current headquarters building in Silver Spring in 2003. The company employs approximately 1,300 people in the Silver Spring area. Scripps’ Knoxville headquarters houses more than 1,000. The sale and closure of Discovery’s Silver Spring building is expected approximately one year from closing the Scripps transaction.

    Also read:

    Discovery Jeet gears up for Feb 12 launch

    Discovery Jeet signs content deal with Netflix

    Video consumption by premium audience on digital exploding: Karan Bajaj

  • Scripps, Blue Ant & Game TV buy ‘paranormal’ prog series from GRB

    Scripps, Blue Ant & Game TV buy ‘paranormal’ prog series from GRB

    MUMBAI: GRB Entertainment has announced sales of several paranormal series to broadcast partners in North America, Europe, Middle East, and Africa.

    Blue Ant Media in Canada and WP1 in Poland both acquired Occult Crimes which offers a look inside the devilish minds of some of the most unpredictable and dangerous killers in history. Taking their orders from the devil, real-life demons are determined to gain immortality by committing heinous murders.

    Game TV in Canada also picked up two seasons of Portal to the Unknown. The series introduces people who have had very real encounters with some of the most hauntingly unbelievable creatures and ghosts.

    For their EMEA feed, Scripps Networks International took When Ghosts Attack. Travel to the dark side of the paranormal world where the attackers are invisible, but the physical scars are real. Hear directly from the victims about what went through their mind as their other-realm experience escalated from threatening whispers and dark omens to bodily injuries.

    “GRB Entertainment holds an impressive catalogue of paranormal titles and we are excited for our partners around the world to share these programs with their viewers. Whether or not you believe that these supernatural events really occurred, you’ll be thrilled as we delve into the minds of criminals and other-worldly beings,” said GRB Entertainment SVP — international distribution Michael Lolato.

  • Scripps TV looks for opportunities to grow, seeks to extend debt maturity

    MUMBAI: The E.W. Scripps Company has launched an offering of $400 million of new senior unsecured notes. The private placement offer is subject to market conditions and other factors and is exempt from the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933. The notes are expected to mature in 2025 and will be guaranteed by certain of the company’s existing and future subsidiaries. Completion of the offering is subject to customary closing conditions.

    The E.W. Scripps Company is one of the US’s largest independent TV station owners, with 33 television stations in 24 markets and a reach of nearly one in five U.S. households. It also owns 34 radio stations in eight markets.

    In conjunction with the notes issuance, Scripps is seeking to amend and restate its existing $100 million senior secured revolving credit facility to increase the borrowing capacity to $125 million and extend the maturity to 2022. The notes offering is not conditioned on executing the amended revolving credit facility. Proceeds from the offering will be used to repay the existing $391 million term loan B due in 2020, to pay related fees and expenses and for general corporate purposes.

    “We are taking advantage of historically low long-term interest rates to extend the maturity of our debt to 2025,” said Scripps chairman, president and CEO Rich Boehne. “Since this is a refinancing, we are not significantly increasing the total amount of our debt. We would have pro-forma net leverage of 1.4x based on 2016 results, and that level of leverage allows us the financial flexibility we are accustomed to putting to work as we look for opportunities to grow the company.”

    The notes and related guarantees have not been, and will not be, registered under the Securities Act or the securities laws of any other jurisdiction and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption. The notes will be offered only to persons reasonably believed to be qualified institutional buyers under Rule 144A of the Securities Act, or outside the United States, to persons other than “U.S. persons” in compliance with Regulation S under the Securities Act.

    Although Scripps has not yet finalized its financial results, the company expects first-quarter 2017 operating results, which will be released on May 5, to be consistent with its prior expectations. Accordingly, first-quarter television revenue is expected to be flat, radio revenue is expected to decrease in the mid-single-digit range, and digital revenue to increase in the mid-20 per cent range compared to the first quarter of 2016. It is also expected that for the first quarter of 2017, television expenses will increase by mid-single digits, radio expense will decrease by low-single digits, and digital expense will increase in the mid-40 per cent range compared to the first quarter of 2016. Based upon these results, segment profit less corporate expenses for the first quarter of 2017 will decrease about 40 percent compared to the first quarter of 2016, largely due to the lack of political advertising in this non-political year. There can be no assurance that Scripps’ actual results for this quarter will not differ from its current expectations. Any such changes could be material, and undue reliance should not be placed on these estimates.

  • Newsy expands to Cable via Fioptics

    Newsy expands to Cable via Fioptics

    MUMBAI: Scripps’ subsidiary Newsy is now available to the cable television audiences through a partnership with Cincinnati Bell’s Fioptics. The over-the-top news network will feature news live.

    Newsy offers analysis and perspective on the day’s top stories, spanning world and national news, policy, culture, science and technology.

    “Cable is still the most powerful television viewing platform in the world,” said Newsy GM Blake Sabatinelli. “Partnering with Cincinnati Bell allows us to deliver our award-winning news coverage to an
    audience hungry for a new perspective.”

    “As we continue to expand the Fioptics channel lineup, we’re committed to providing our subscribers with the best content. Newsy provides a fresh take on news coverage that our customers will embrace,” added Cincinnati Bell director of content and consumer product marketing strategy Michael Morrison.

    The partnership marks Newsy’s first carriage with a cable TV network. In the last 18 months, Newsy has added distribution on services including Sling TV, Roku, Watchable from Comcast and Apple TV.

    E.W. Scripps, the storied owner of 19 local television stations and daily newspapers in 13 markets across the U.S., announced that it has acquired Newsy, a digital video news platform, for $35 million in
    cash. Newsy will become a subsidiary of Scripps

  • Newsy expands to Cable via Fioptics

    Newsy expands to Cable via Fioptics

    MUMBAI: Scripps’ subsidiary Newsy is now available to the cable television audiences through a partnership with Cincinnati Bell’s Fioptics. The over-the-top news network will feature news live.

    Newsy offers analysis and perspective on the day’s top stories, spanning world and national news, policy, culture, science and technology.

    “Cable is still the most powerful television viewing platform in the world,” said Newsy GM Blake Sabatinelli. “Partnering with Cincinnati Bell allows us to deliver our award-winning news coverage to an
    audience hungry for a new perspective.”

    “As we continue to expand the Fioptics channel lineup, we’re committed to providing our subscribers with the best content. Newsy provides a fresh take on news coverage that our customers will embrace,” added Cincinnati Bell director of content and consumer product marketing strategy Michael Morrison.

    The partnership marks Newsy’s first carriage with a cable TV network. In the last 18 months, Newsy has added distribution on services including Sling TV, Roku, Watchable from Comcast and Apple TV.

    E.W. Scripps, the storied owner of 19 local television stations and daily newspapers in 13 markets across the U.S., announced that it has acquired Newsy, a digital video news platform, for $35 million in
    cash. Newsy will become a subsidiary of Scripps

  • Refinery29 raises $50 million from WPP and Scripps

    Refinery29 raises $50 million from WPP and Scripps

    MUMBAI: Digital lifestyle media company Refinery29 has raised $50 million in new funding from WPP and Scripps Networks Interactive, via WPP Ventures.

     

    This brings the company’s total funding to $80 million with previous investors including Stripes Group, Floodgate, Lead Edge Capital, First Round Capital, Lerer Ventures and Hearst Corporation.

     

    Refinery29 will use this latest round of funding to accelerate its mission to become the global media company for a new generation of women, powering inspirational, smart entertainment and discovery tools and resources across lifestyle categories. The company will expand internationally by launching new markets and building communities abroad, develop its distinguished video and entertainment offerings, and further connect its content and technology platform to the mobile and social web.

     

    “Media is at an inflection point. Over the next five years, multi-billion dollar media brands will grow out of the digital core, from which Refinery29 was born and is the leader. We are focused on vastly expanding our media and entertainment brand, creating smart, provocative editorial, video, and social content at the intersection of style, culture, and independence,” said Refinery29 co-founder and co-CEO Philippe von Borries.

     

    Refinery29 has nearly doubled in growth in each of the last three consecutive years and the business is profitable. In the last year, the company expanded its content from its core style focus to deliver coverage of politics, culture, food and technology that connects with women across all dimensions of their lives.

     

    Scripps Networks Interactive chief development officer Joseph NeCastro will join Refinery29’s Board of Directors, along with a representative from WPP Ventures.

     

    With his past experience in broadcast operations, media and finance, NeCastro will act as an important advisor for the Refinery29 team as the company looks to scale into a global media brand for millennial women.

     

    “Scripps Networks Interactive has built its global business on a deep understanding of the creation of compelling content that appeals to women across multiple geographies and devices. Refinery29 is committed to building an influential brand that connects with millennial women across the world, and we’re excited about the prospect of working in partnership with the team as they continue to expand their coverage and reach,” said NeCastro.

     

    “Refinery29 operates at the intersection of content, shopping and social media—all areas of focus for WPP Ventures. We’re delighted to make this investment alongside Scripps,” said WPP Ventures president Tom Bedecarre.

     

    Refinery29 co-founder and co-CEO Justin Stefano added, “Having Scripps Networks Interactive and WPP Ventures as partners will elevate Refinery29 in building the next global chapter of the business. Both bring decades of experience to the table, having built and funded globally-renowned media brands and developed exceptional lifestyle programming. Their deep insight into the ever-evolving media and advertising landscape will be invaluable in building out Refinery29’s editorial and entertainment teams.”

  • Scripps’ website puts popular TV shows online

    Scripps’ website puts popular TV shows online

    MUMBAI: Scripps Networks Interactive, owner of the Food Network and the Travel Channel, can rest easy as advertising spending plateaus on television and explodes on the Web. The Knoxville, Tennessee-based, lifestyle media company announced on 3 October that it was launching ulive.com, a destination site for short-form videos and for clips and full-length episodes from its half-dozen cable networks.

    A highlight of Ulive – rhymes with you give – will be its more than 70 original Web series, some with Scripps stars, like the Travel Channel’s Bert Kreischer, and some featuring newcomers. In a demonstration of digital video’s appeal to advertisers, Ford Motor will have a starring role in nine custom episodes featuring ulive talent.

    Though video advertising on the Web is still a fraction of what’s spent on television, digital is growing fast. Advertisers will shell out $5.8 billion on Web video in 2014, a 39 per cent spike over 2013, according to eMarketer. Television advertising will grow 3% next year to $68.5 billion.

    “There really aren’t enough quality video advertising opportunities,” said ulive COO Lisa Choi Owens. “Given that our content is incredibly high quality in categories that are really relevant to advertisers, they’re excited to have this.”