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E.W. Scripps, which acquired ION in 2020, is repositioning the broadcast network as a home for general entertainment and live sports.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor E.W. Scripps hopes the recent surge of interest in Caitlin Clark and JuJu Watkins will serve it well in a different sort of match-up, the one that takes place every year between TV networks and advertisers. Scripps is highlighting recent rights deals that help its ION broadcast network serve up both a Friday-night WNBA showcase as well as Saturday-night doubleheaders from the National Women’s Soccer League.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor The WNBA hopes to find new bounce when it starts a line-up of Friday-night games on the broadcast network ION. The pact is part of a new deal struck between E.W. Scripps, which purchased ION in 2020 for $2.65 billion and brings live sports to the outlet for the first time since it launched in 1998 as Pax TV, then under the aegis of Paxson Communications. And it suggests a new model for sports leagues hoping to navigate an era in which the traditional sports model — reaching fans via national and regional cable — is facing challenges. The deal will give the WNBA more audience reach, with an “appointment viewing” event each Friday, says Colie Edison, the WNBA’s chief growth officer, in an interview. The league’s games are telecast by Disney’s ESPN and ABC, and Paramount Global’s CBS Sports, but those companies have rights deals with other, bigger leagues that may get more prominent scheduling. ION has a presence not only via over-the-air TV and cable, but on streaming platforms. “We want to create more fans in the funnel. To do that, our fans need to know where we are on and when we are on,” says Edison. “Our mission is to make it easy to be a fan of the WNBA.”

Top smart TV maker Samsung has unveiled a new version of its TV Plus streaming offering.

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.

Dade Hayes Finance EditorLocal 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 Newsy and multicast networks such as Court TV and Bounce to create a national company.

Jill Goldsmith Co-Business EditorSiriusXM has clinched its deal to buy podcasting business Stitcher from E.W.

By Dade Hayes