Latest in E.W. Scripps

UPDATED with clearance and schedule. TrueReal and Defy TV, two new multicast networks being launched today by E.W. Scripps, have been cleared in 92% of U.S. households, the company said. In addition to the reach of the networks, Scripps announced programming details. Defy TV will focus on men aged 25 to 54 with a…

Two major station groups said that they were reviewing their processes for airing sponsored content following a segment that aired on HBO’s Last Week Tonight with John Oliver in which the show paid to get an interview on the air featuring a spokesperson for a fake “sexual wellness blanket.” The crux of the segment was…

After going dark in 2020 due to Covid-19, the Scripps National Spelling Bee plans to resume its century-old annual contest on July 8, with an in-person edition at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Florida. ESPN2 will air the championship round, featuring 10 to 12 spellers. Organizers said the decision to limit…

Local TV station owner E.W. Scripps said it will pay $2.65 billion to acquire national broadcast network ION Media, with Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway putting $600 million into the deal. Scripps will combine ION assets — notably its broadcast spectrum holdings — with its own brands like multiplatform news outlet…

After years of anticipation, “next-generation” broadcast technology made its full-time debut Tuesday on Las Vegas stations owned by Nexstar Media Group, Sinclair Broadcast Group and E.W. Scripps. Sinclair's NBC affiliate, KSNV, and CW affiliate, KVCW; Nexstar's CBS affiliate, KLAS; and Scripps' ABC station KTNV are…

Escape, an established multicast network owned by E.W. Scripps’ Katz Networks, will rebrand itself as Court TV Mystery on September 30. According to the official announcement of the move, the rebrand will “continue the mission of Escape,” which targets women 25 to 54 with true-crime-focused programming. Escape is…

Harvey Weinstein’s rape trial in New York, which is slated for September, will headline gavel-to-gavel courtroom coverage on the reborn Court TV. The network, reactivating a TV brand that revolutionized trial coverage as much as ESPN did sports or CNN did news, relaunched in May as a multicast network operated by E.W…

EXCLUSIVE: Katz Networks, a unit of the E.W. Scripps Co., has expanded the reach of the upcoming May 8 launch of the new Court TV with additional distribution pacts across multiple platforms. Court TV has added more than a dozen mid-sized cable providers, including GCI Cable; Massillon Cable TV; Buckeye Cable; Skitter…

Court TV, the iconic TV brand known for broadcasting the trials of O.J. Simpson, the Menendez Brothers and Casey Anthony, will relaunch under its old name with a new backer. Katz Networks, a unit of the E.W. Scripps Co. which operates multicast networks like Bounce, Escape and Grit, will relaunch Court TV in May 2019…

E.W. Scripps-owned Laff network is the latest to dump Roseanne. The network just issued a statement that it is removing the original Roseanne series from its schedule, at least for now. “While we believe viewers have always distinguished the personal behavior of the actress Roseanne Barr from the television character…

Univision Communication’s TV stations will continue to air Bounce, Escape, Grit and Laff as subchannels on its major market outlets through 2024, the result of a new agreement announced this morning. The niche targeted channels are owned by Katz Broadcasting, which TV station owner E.W. Scripps agreed this month to…

TV station owner E.W. Scripps made a $292 million bet on over-the-air programming today in a deal to buy four networks from Katz Broadcasting: Bounce, Grit, Escape and Laff. The networks generate revenues from general-market and direct-response advertising. "In today's fragmented television ecosystem, a growing number…