Advanced Television

Scripps: “Very bullish on Travel Channel”

March 7, 2013

By Chris Forrester

Scripps Networks Interactive’s CEO, Kenneth Lowe, speaking at Deutsche Bank’s annual media and telecom conference in New York, said the broadcaster was extremely pleased with the way Travel Channel International, acquired in March 2012 for $103 million, is performing.

Lowe said overall viewership would continue to rise in “high single digit, or low double-digit” this year when compared to 2012.

“We like where we are in Travel,” said Lowe. “We’ve got some new shows coming online there that I think are going to bode very well. And we’re finally kind of getting in our groove. It takes a little while whether you’re remodeling the network, refurbishing the network or starting from scratch, to get in rhythm. And that was the case with HGTV. It was certainly the case with Food when we bought it in ’97. It took us about 4, almost 5 years to get that network where we really felt that we get a handle on it. And all that’s starting to come together with Travel. It’s our top growth priority for the year. And we’ve got now some programming going back and forth, some opportunities we think could enhance us domestically [in the USA]. We’re very bullish on the Travel Channel for 2013.”

On March 6th, Scripps announced that it had won extra carriage for its Food Network and Fine Living channels on Norway’s largest cable platform, Canal Digital Kabel TV.

Categories: Articles, Broadcast, Business, Results