Live sports are an incredibly important piece of cable broadcasting. As cable viewership dwindles across the United State, live sports are widely seen as one of the only programming options keeping linear providers going. The E.W. Scripps Company, which operates channels including Newsy, Ion, and more, is looking to expand its live sports presence, according to reporting from the Sports Business Journal’s John Ourand.
Ourand reports that Scripps has been sending out bids in various markets for local sports broadcasting rights. The company isn’t looking to launch its own series of regional sports networks (RSNs), however. Instead, if it gains the rights to specific teams, Scripps will seek to put their sports on local channels already in operation.
Scripps sees now as the perfect time to start expanding its live sports footprint, especially as other media companies are struggling to find their next evolution in the face of increasing cord-cutting. For example, Diamond Sports recently blocked parent company Sinclair Broadcasting from any further say in how it operates its RSNs, as it tries to figure out what to do next with the networks.
“We are witnessing a massive reset in the sports distribution and rights landscape,” Scripps President and CEO Adam Symson said, according to Ourand. “The old model is not set up to move forward, and we are really well-situated to participate in future models with sports teams, leagues, and conferences.”
It was not immediately clear whether Scripps’ future plans include a streaming option for customers, but Symson suggested that the company would maintain flexible and not commit to being either all linear or all direct-to-consumer (DTC).
“In my opinion, leagues and teams that focus strictly on pay-TV or DTC will end up in one way or another finding themselves with impaired assets,” Symson said.
Symson also pointed out an advantage that Scripps has in negotiations that many media companies lack; it doesn’t have local affiliates to satisfy.
“We own most of our outlets,” he said. “We don’t have the complications that the big four networks have … You promise the league and make a programming decision, you don’t have to turn around and then negotiate with affiliates to try to get the time. If I want to dedicate Saturdays to a franchise night for a sports league, that’s a decision we can make.”
Currently, Scripps is avoiding chasing huge assets like the NBA and NASCAR — both of which have expiring broadcast deals — but if the company can start to slowly gain traction by adding an MLB team here and an NHL team there, its modest plan could evolve into a model every media company looks toward as they figure out their own sports TV and streaming plans. NBCUniversal, which recently announced its plans to add its RSNs to its streaming platform Peacock in select markets, will surely be paying close attention to Scripps’ moves.