Scripps Bets Big on Women’s Sports for New Live Streaming Channel in Upfront Pitch

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The main takeaway:

The E.W. Scripps Company will launch a new 24/7 streaming network in its latest upfront pitch to advertisers. Premiering Tuesday, March 24, the Scripps Sports Network, a free, ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channel, will start with 100 live events across the year.

The offering allows advertisers to secure premium positions in women’s sports broadcasts, including those from new and emerging leagues.

The biggest announcements:

According to Scripps Chief Revenue Officer Brian Norris, as live sports—and, specifically, women’s live sports—continue to grow and bring impact for advertisers, Scripps Sports Network was a way to bring viewers free live sports without the barriers of a subscription.

“We recognized very quickly that Scripps represented premium in a free environment, and that was an area where we thought that we could grow,” Norris told ADWEEK. “So it wasn’t good enough for us to launch a free sports streaming channel without bringing live sports to the platform. We were not interested in fueling a sports streaming channel with library content.”

State Farm has signed on as a launch partner for Scripps Sports Network, but Scripps is going to market with opportunities across several live sports.

Starting with 100 live events across the year, Scripps Sports Network coverage includes the Professional Women’s Hockey League, with Scripps signed on to broadcast the league’s championship in May; the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), Major League Volleyball, the Pro Cheer League, Athlos NYC, National Arena League (NAL), and The Scripps National Spelling Bee.

In addition to live sports and events, the FAST channel will include 100 hours of encore WNBA; new programming, including an in-depth conversation series hosted by sports broadcaster Suzy Kolber; and acquired programming, such as Cold as Balls, which features comedian Kevin Hart interviewing athletes and sports personalities from ice-cold tubs.

Scripps will continue to have its dedicated sports nights on ION, with the WNBA on Fridays and the NWSL on Saturdays. Meanwhile, Scripps Sports Network will have a mix of original live sports as well as simulcasts and re-airs from ION and Scripps’ other networks.

The Scripps Sports Network will be available on several platforms and devices, including The Roku Channel, LG Channels, Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Fire TV Channels, Google TV Freeplay, Xumo, TCL TV+, TCL Channel, Plex, Local Now, and Tablo.

Why it matters:

Scripps has been a major investor in women’s sports for years, with Scripps Sports holding partnerships with the WNBA, the NWSL, and PWHL, as well as a number of teams, including WNBA Champions the Las Vegas Aces and the NWSL’s Denver Summit FC.

The addition of a FAST channel with live sports gives the company another avenue into new and emerging leagues, allowing advertisers to get in on the ground floor.

“When we bring emerging sports or sports that have just never been aired on national platforms, it creates an opportunity for there to be no incumbency from a sponsorship standpoint, so every sponsorship position, when we bring a new sport to our platform, is largely open,” Norris said. “That creates opportunities for us to be innovative, flexible, and really build sponsorships that are tied to advertiser KPIs and actually deliver real outcomes.”

The news comes shortly after WPP Media issued its “Women’s Sports Playbook,” which included several findings about the impact of advertising in women’s sports, including a 79% year-over-year increase in ad impressions for women’s sports and 20% higher engagement with ads than on non-sports broadcast and cable.

Scripps showcases its upfront presentation on Wednesday, March 25, at 5:30 p.m. ET at the Barclays Center.

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