Scripps Interactive

By Ryan Lannum & Aaron Sortal
[1] Scripps Interactive Network Logo

[1] Scripps Interactive Network Logo

Brief History [1]

Scripps Networks Interactive began in 1878 when Edward W. Scripps founded The Penny Press in Cleveland, Ohio. Jump forward a 100 years and Scripps Networks Interactive began buying and building cable television systems, making it one of America’s largest cable operators, which was later sold to Comcast. In the 1990s, Scripps Network Interactive began building their media network. After the purchase of Cinetel Productions, a Knoxville-based cable creator, it launched HGTV in 1994.

[1] Source: WBIR-TV 10 Knoxville / Scripps Network Interactive

After the launch of HGTV, Scripps Networks started more lifestyle networks including: Food Network (1997), DIY Network (1999), Fine Living Network (2002), Great American Country (2004), and Travel Channel (2009). The organization describes itself as a “niche broadband [of] channels that extend the core brands’ presence on the Internet with advertiser-supported, on-demand content” (Scripps Networks Interactive).

In 2007, the board of directors decided to split The E.W. Scripps Company into two publicly-traded companies. One of the organizations would concentrate on national television lifestyle brands and the other focus on innovative and enduring local media businesses.

Financials

screen-shot-2016-11-29-at-10-26-06-pm

Stock er-er the last 5 years [2]

Scripps Networks Interactive, Inc. has done very well financially the last few years.  At the end of 2015, Scripps’ revenue totaled $3.02 billion, with a total net income of $606.83 million [2].  This is a great increase from the previous years, as its 2014 net income totaled 545.28 million, and its 2013 net income totaled $505.07 million.  Their total net incomes are increasing at a steady rate, and will likely continue in the coming years.  While their stock price is lower than it was five years ago, it being at $70.06 now and 76.50 then, it has increased greatly in the past year, with the price being only $59.04 in November of 2015.

In the fall of 2016, Scripps Networks reported a 6.6 percent increase in advertising revenues, which totaled to a $477.5 million in advertising revenue during the quarter [3]. This jump in advertising revenue also added to five of the six networks having a ratings boost.  Focusing on ads that connect to the demographics that watch their channels resulted in tremendous success both in viewership and in revenue. The need for advertising revenue caused a major problem when it came to a subscription video on demand service deal with Netflix.

Netflix Deal Not Renewed for a New Season

Netflix Logo

Netflix Desktop [4]

During the fall of 2016, Burton Jablin, Scripps Networks Interactive’s COO, announced the organization would not be renewing its digital distribution deal with Netflix on the company’s quarterly earnings conference call [5]. This isn’t the first-time Scripps Networks Interactive has ended a subscription video on demand deal with a media distributor [6]. In February 2013, Scripps Networks Interactive had a deal with Amazon. That deal ended in March 2014. This prompted the Netflix and Scripps Networks Interactive deal that ended this past November. According to a Variety.com article, Scripps Networks could have lost about $11 million of licensing revenue from Amazon [6]. Unlike the deal with Amazon, the CEO of Scripps Networks Interactive, Kenneth Lowe, commented on the company’s decision to leave Netflix. Lowe stated that a major reason for leaving Netflix was the loss of advertising dollars [7], which brought-in roughly $445 million dollars in revenue during the last quarter [3]. Jablin said in a Variety.com article: “In the end, it really is not the kind of dual-revenue model that best monetizes our content over the long term” (Spangler). [8] Over the past couple of months, Netflix has removed content from its database because the company wanted to create room for its original content. All of Scripps Network’s shows will not be removed until the end of the year [7]. Some of the shows that are being removed are: “Cupcake Wars,” “Chopped,” and “Man v. Food.”

AT&T Long-Term Distribution Agreement

http://www.csc.com/global_alliances/alliances/112505-at_t

AT&T Logo [9]

In September of 2016, Scripps Interactive reached a deal with AT&T, in which they agreed for a continuation of distribution of Scripps Networks for DIRECTV [10].  This deal will be made for multiple years, ensuring that DIRECTV will continue its widespread distribution of the Scripps Network channels.  They also agreed to include Scripps Networks on DIRECTV’s streaming service, DIRECTV NOW.  Programs on channels such as HGTV, Food Network, Travel Channel, DIY Network, Great American Country, and Cooking Channel are included to be distributed through this deal.

As DIRECTV has over 20 percent of the market share of cable providers in the US, this deal will assist in allowing Scripps Networks’ programs to be distributed to as many people as possible [11].  DIRECTV is also expected to grow in market share in the next decade, so this deal will continue the great relationship Scripps has with AT&T.  With DIRECTV NOW launching at the end of November, it will also allow people whom prefer to stream their content the chance to view Scripps Network shows [12].  The portability of DIRECTV NOW will allow its customers to view Scripps Network shows at anywhere at any time, which will increase the flexibility and make it more likely that the shows will be viewed a lot more often than before.  DIRECTV NOW is also a lot cheaper alternative to established cable packages, so the low cost may also bring in a lot more viewers, in which can increase Scripps’ revenue and exposure.

DirecTV NOW Informational Video [13]

Pluto TV Financing

[14]

Pluto TV Logo [14]

Pluto TV is a television platform launched in 2014, which is solely internet-based [14].  They play content from over 75 different partners, including NBC, Bloomberg, Sky News, and Paramount Pictures [15].  The format is basically the same as a television network, as the programs are played in different time slots, as opposed to letting the viewer decide what they want to watch whenever they want to watch it.

In October of 2016, Scripps Networks participated in a $30 financing round, which was led by ProSiebenSat.1.  With this participation, this will allow Pluto TV to air a great amount of Scripps’ content, giving more exposure and potential revenue as a result.  Pluto TV is also available for free, so even people without cable can have access to Scripps’ content.  With this plus the AT&T deal involving DIRECTV NOW, it can definitely be shown that Scripps Networks is investing a lot of money into online streaming services, as they can see the market for internet-based content is growing every year.  If regular cable tv ends up being less popular and streaming services become the most used service to access television, Scripps will be ahead of the change and be able to retain and potentially gain a lot of revenue for the future.

Pluto TV Advertisement[16]

Sources

[1] Scripps Networks Interactive. “ History.” History | Scripps Networks Interactive, www.scrippsnetworksinteractive.com/our-company/history/.

[2] “SNI Income Statement – YahooFinance.” Yahoo! Finance, Yahoo!, finance.yahoo.com/quote/SNI/financials?p=SNI.

[3] Littleton, Cynthia. “HGTV, Advertising Gains Power Scripps Networks Interactive’s Q3 Earnings.” Variety, 7 Nov. 2016, variety.com/2016/tv/news/scripps-networks-interactive-q3-hgtv-travel-channel-1201911392/. [3] Littleton, Cynthia. “HGTV, Advertising Gains Power Scripps Networks Interactive’s Q3 Earnings.” Variety, 7 Nov. 2016, variety.com/2016/tv/news/scripps-networks-interactive-q3-hgtv-travel-channel-1201911392/.

[4] Sebastian. “How to Watch Netflix While Abroad .” TigerVPN Blog, 4 May 2016, blog.tigervpn.com/howtowatchnetflixwhileabroad/.

[5] Szalai, Georg. “Scripps Networks Won’t Renew Netflix Deal, CEO Says ‘We’Re Big Enough.’” The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Nov. 2016, www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/scripps-networks-wont-renew-netflix-deal-ceo-says-were-big-944709.

[6] Spangler, Todd. “Amazon Drops Discovery and Scripps Shows, with Scripps the Bigger Loser.” Variety, 26 Mar. 2014, variety.com/2014/digital/news/amazon-drops-discovery-and-scripps-shows-with-scripps-the-bigger-loser-1201147369/.

[7] Faulkner, Trisha. “Netflix Loses Scripps Networks Interactive Contract: Say Goodbye To HGTV, Food Network, Travel Channel, And More.” The Inquisitr News, 12 Nov. 2016, www.inquisitr.com/3709928/netflix-loses-scripps-networks-interactive-contract/.

[8] Spangler, Todd. “Netflix Losing Food Network, HGTV, Travel Channel Shows at End of 2016.” Variety, 9 Nov. 2016, variety.com/2016/digital/news/netflix-scripps-food-network-hgtv-travel-channel-shows-1201913874/.

[9] “AT&T.” Computer Sciences Corporation, CSC, www.csc.com/global_alliances/alliances/112505-at_t.

[10] “Scripps Networks Interactive, AT&T Sign Long-Term Multi-Platform Distribution Agreement.” Nasdaq GlobeNewswire , GlobeNewswire, 22 Sept. 2016, globenewswire.com/news-release/2016/09/22/873822/0/en/Scripps-Networks-Interactive-AT-T-Sign-Long-Term-Multi-Platform-Distribution-Agreement.html.

[11] Munson, Ben. “Top 9 Cable, Satellite and Telco Pay-TV Operators in Q1: Ranking Comcast to TWC to Charter to Cablevision.” FierceCable, 11 May 2016, www.fiercecable.com/special-report/top-9-cable-satellite-and-telco-pay-tv-operators-q1-ranking-comcast-to-twc-to.

[12] Rogowsky, Mark. “Is DirecTV Now The Video Service Cord Cutters Have Been Waiting For?” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 29 Nov. 2016, www.forbes.com/sites/markrogowsky/2016/11/29/is-directv-now-the-video-service-cord-cutters-have-been-waiting-for/#7781ae8330ef.

[13] CNET. “DirecTV Now Offers 100 Channels of Live TV Starting at $35 a Month.” YouTube, YouTube, 28 Nov. 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=040r9p0oijk.

[14] “What Is Pluto Tv?” Pluto TV, Pluto TV, corporate.pluto.tv/.

[15] Pham, Alex. “Pluto TV Lands $30M Financing From Scripps Networks And ProSiebenSat.1.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 12 Oct. 2016, www.forbes.com/sites/alexpham/2016/10/12/pluto-tv-lands-30-million-financing-from-scripps-networks-and-prosiebensat-1/#16d668db4e3f.

[16] PlutoTV. “Pluto.TV: Watch What’s Possible.” YouTube, Pluto TV, 31 Mar. 2014, www.youtube.com/watch?v=atNBbc6ofiE.

Scripps Networks Interactive

by Ryan Kauffman

Scripps Networks Interactive

Scripps logo

   Photo Courtesy of Logowiki.com [i]

Contact Information [ii]                                                                                                                                     

9721 Sherrill Blvd, Knoxville, TN 37932

(865) 694-2700

http://www.scrippsnetworksinteractive.com

About Scripps Networks Interactive:

Scripps Networks dates back all the way to 1878, when Edward Scripps founded the Penny Press in Cleveland. It was established as one of the leading post-war newspapers, which began to run local television stations. Scripps began to establish its large cable network ultimately becoming one of the biggest cable operators in the country, until it sold many of its assets to Comcast.[iii]

A leader in technology innovation, Scripps Network took advantage of investment opportunities and acquired Cintel Productions, and soon afterwards they announced the launch of HGTV. This program was met with such great success, that Scripps continued with more programming, which led to The Food Network (’97), The DIY Network (’99), The Fine Living Network (’02), Great American Country (’04), and The Travel Channel (’09). These six networks and there incredible online counterparts are a large part of what makes Scripps Networks such a powerful, innovative, and internationally recognized company.[iv]

Key Executives

Ken Lowe Headshot

Kenneth Lowe – CEO

Joe Necastro

Joseph Necastro – CFO

Burton Jablin

Burton Jablin – President

Photos courtesy of www.scrippsnetworksinteractive.com  [v]

Financials:

Though net income from operations is down .1% this quarter, we are up 3.2% from the beginning of the year at $ 548,759,000, and while this quarter has taken a slight dip, stocks are up in value, and revenue should increase as a result of recent expansion into foreign markets. With an extremely high operating revenue of $1,362,878,000, Scripps can afford to venture into other markets and stay at the forefront of media technology. [vi]                                                   

What’s Happening Now

HGTV Singapore                                                                                                                   Set to launch on December 4th is the Singapore division of HGTV. With one of the highest percentages of home owners, Singapore will provide an interesting new market for SNI, as it will be the first channel in Asia that has a strictly home and lifestyle focus. This partnership with Starhub TV has already created quite a lot of buzz among Singaporeans, who have been able to share “Home Moments” on Facebook, which started back in October. [vii]

SNI Singapore

                Photo courtesy of www.scrippsnetworksinteractive.com[viii]

HGTV will launch with a strong line-up including Property Brothers, Kitchen Cousins, and The High Low Project; however, SNI will holdfast to its commitment of providing locally specialized content as well. Network Executives have noticed a trend in the market of an increased interest in high quality lifestyle content, and Asia is a fantastic market to break into before spreading even further globally.[ix]

amishrenogades

 Photo courtesy of jumatv.com [x]

Amish RENOgade                                                                                                         Scripps Network has been very busy recently, premiering several new shows this fall season and three just this month alone, including Amish RENOgades, starring several memorable characters from the show Vanilla Ice Goes Amish. These members of the Amish community will set out across the county to remodel homes as they go, learning to tackle life outside the Amish community.[xi] The show aired a little over a week ago, and as boston.com says, “it is magic”. The show seamlessly blends lovable character in unfamiliar situations with traditional DIY network content. Watching Amish craftsmen Albert Miller and Robert Schlabach traverse across the country renovating homes, while navigating drive-thrus and social media, all while on camera, provide a truly unique experience.[xii] While only several episodes have aired so far, comments are very positive about the show thus far.[xiii]

Prop brothers

 Photo courtesy of hgtv.com [xiv]

Property Brothers at Home                                                                                                  Also airing within the past week is a spin off of HGTV’s record breaking show, The Property Brothers, which features brothers Drew and Jonathon Scott flipping homes across the country. These siblings knocked it out of the park with their hit show, with over 19 million people tuning in last season, which made it a cable powerhouse. Scripps Network tries to reach a wide array of demographics which can sometimes be difficult. Not surprisingly, The Property Brothers audience is made up 70% by women between 25 and 54. [xv] This is one of many reasons, that their show is so successful, and crucial to SNI. That is why this season, SNI is premiering “Property Brothers at Home”, which will feature Drew and Johnathon Scott renovating their Las Vegas home. This wil be the fourth show headed by the Scott Brother’s, which is why “The Property Brothers at Home” will be so successful. The viewers want a more in depth look into HGTV’s favorite duo, and now it’s here. [xvi]

Other News

vue

  Photo courtesy of engadget.com [xviii]

Playstation Vue                                                                               Sony has announced the Playstation Vue, which will allow players to access around 75 channels on their Playstation 4. Sony describes it as a “web-based television service allows users to access live TV and on-demand content without a cable or satellite service”. SNI has partnered with this program, which will get the brand in front of a younger and wider demographic, and keep the company at the forefront of technology.[xvii]

ulive

  Photo courtesy of www.thevideoink.com [xix]

Ulive                                                                  Scripps Networks launched Ulive several years ago as an online video platform, which contains lifestyle content that accents it’s channels. It has increased in popularity over the years, with some sources saying it reaches over 500,000 new viewers per month. Recently however Jeff Meyer and Lisa Owens, the two faces of Ulive have recently left the company. Though the circumstances are unclear, it is confirmed that they will no longer be working on the project. Tamara Franklin, Executive Vice President of Digital will now be heading the site. This change up will be monitored closely over the coming months. [xx]

Coming Soon

ree dr

 Photo courtesy of reedrummond.com [xxii]

The Pioneer Woman                                                            In the midst of the Holiday Season, many of the lifestyle networks viewership is greatly increased, and Scripps Network is going taking advantage of this opportunity with several Holiday specials premiering soon. A series of Food Network Stars will have Holiday specials, one of them being “The Pioneer Woman: Cowboy Christmas Special” hosted by
Ree Drummond
, who will give viewers an inside look into her life on the ranch at home. Ree has millions of fans, which hopefully will lead to a very successful premiere.[xxi]

white house christmas

  Photo Courtesy of hgtv.com [xxv]

Other specials incluse “Outrageous Christmas”, “Holiday Feast with Kelis”, and “Rev Run’s Happy Holidays” all of which will premiere throughout the month of December.[xxiii] While these celebrities are causing a lot of hype for Scripps this Holiday Season, the most buzz is surrounding “White House Christmas”, a special which is set to air on December 14th. The hostess, Genevieve Gorder will give viewers an inside look on how the most famous house in America gets ready for Christmas.[xxiv]

[i] Scripps Networks Interactive Logo. Retrieved 28 November 2014                                   [ii] Scripps Networks Interactive Contact Information. Retrieved 28 November 2014             [iii] SNI Founding. Retrieved 28 November 2014                                                                   [iv] SNI History (Part 2). Retrieved 28 November 2014                                                         [v] SNI Executives. Retrieved 28 November 2014                                                                 [vi] SNI Financials. Retrieved 28 November 2014                                                                 [vii] HGTV Singapore (Part 1). Retrieved 28 November 2014                                                 [viii] SNI in Singapore Photo.Retrieved 28 November 2014                                                   [ix] HGTV Singapore (Part 2). Retrieved 28 November 2014                                                 [x] Amish RENOgades Photo. Retrieved 28 November 2014                                               [xi] Amish RENOgades Overview. Retrieved 28 November 2014                                           [xii] Amish RENOgades Details. Retrieved 28 November 2014                                             [xiii] Amish RENOgades Comments. Retrieved 28 November 2014                                     [xiv] Property Brother at Home Photo. Retrieved 29 November 2014                                   [xv] Property Brothers Stats. Retrieved 29 November 2014                                                 [xvi] Property Brothers at Home. Retrieved 29 November 2014                                           [xvii] Playstation Vue Overview. Retrieved 29 November 2014                                             [xviii] Playstation Vue Photo. Retrieved 29 November 2014                                                   [xix] Ulive Photo. Retrieved 29 November 2014                                                                   [xx] Ulive Overview. Retrieved 29 November 2014                                                               [xxi] Pioneer Woman: Cowboy Christmas Special. Retrieved 29 November 2014                 [xxii] Ree Drummond Photo. Retrieved 29 November 2014                                                 [xxiii] Other Holiday Specials. Retrieved 29 November 2014                                                 [xxiv] White House Christmas. Retrieved 29 November 2014                                               [xxv] White House Christmas Photo. Retrieved 29 November 2014