During the CBS (NYSE: CBS) earnings call yesterday, Les Moonves, the company’s president and CEO, repeatedly spoke about how broadcasters coveted the retrans and affiliate fees that those on the cable side have been able to tap. Scripps Networks (NYSE: SNI) Interactive’s Q1 results prove how valuable affiliate revenues can…

		EPS*	Rev. vs Q109	Net Inc. vs Q109
SNI	Release		32%	21%

* vs. Analysts' Estimates: Beat Met Missed

EW Scripps (NYSE: SSP), which said in late February that it was putting its United Media character licensing business up for sale, has now sold those operations to Iconix Brand Group for $175 million in cash. The deal means Iconix will take over the licensing of brands, such as “Peanuts”…

Over the past six months, newspaper earnings results have been relatively positive as Gannett (NYSE: GCI), the New York Times Co. (NYSE: NYT)  and McClatchy (NYSE: MNI) have returned to profitability and ad declines have abated. When Gannett kicks off the Q1 newspaper earnings season on Friday morning, analysts expect…

After working together for years through a trade association, a dozen broadcasters are now forming a financially-backed joint venture to develop a national mobile service, including live and on-demand video, local and national news and entertainment from both TV and print companies. The joint venture is upping the financial stakes…

Scripps Networks (NYSE: SNI) is promoting Lisa Choi Owens to SVP of digital media, which will give her oversight of the cable net’s websites and chart the further development of its mobile and social media programs. Owens has been with Scripps for nearly two years and has been handling online…

Newspaper website veteran Rusty Coats is leaving his post as VP of interactive for the newspaper division of The E. W. Scripps, E&P reports. In a memo (after the jump) sent to Scripps staffers, Coats, who was instrumental in establishing the Yahoo (NSDQ: YHOO) Newspaper Consortium, also said that he’s…

Late last year when Scripps Networks Interactive (NYSE: SNI) finally announced the sale of its UK utility comparison shopping site uSwitch, we knew it was for a lowball price, and we guessed around $50 million, three years after it bought the site for $366 million. Turns out Forward Internet Group,…

E W Scripps, the newspaper and TV holding company, has decided to put its content and cartoons/comics licensing unit United Media on sale, it announced as part of its Q409 earnings results today. UM is responsible for licensing popular features such as “Peanuts” and “Dilbert”, among others, with the rationale…

Scripps Networks Interactive (NYSE: SNI) managed to return to profit in Q4, but the programmer reported continued weakness at its online properties. In addition to the profit swing, ad revenue at its Lifestyle Media segment was up 6.8 percent. At the Interactive Services segment, however, revenues were down 25 percent.…

		EPS*	Rev. vs Q408	Net Inc. vs Q408
Scripps Networks Interactive	Release		6%	163%

* vs. Analysts' Estimates: Beat Met Missed

Cablevision (NYSE: CVC) and Scripps Networks Interactive (NYSE: SNI) have reached an agreement that paves the way for the return of the Food Network and HGTV programming to the cable operator’s system. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Scripps’ programming went dark just after after its contract with Cablevision…

No signs of movement in the contract spat between Cablevision (NYSE: CVC) and Scripps Networks Interactive (NYSE: SNI), which means more than three million households are still sans HGTV or The Food Network 20 days into 2010. The companies have spoken several times—twice last week, according to Scripps. We “are…

Licensing deals for some Scripps Networks Interactive (NYSE: SNI) channels ended at midnight New Year’s Eve for Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC) and Cablevision (NYSE: CVC). So why can Manhattan cable subs still see the Food Channel while their Long Island neighbors are blacked out? On the surface, it’s simple…

Fox viewers across the U.S. were able to get their Sugar fix without a blip now that News Corp (NYSE: NWS) and Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC) have managed to agree on a new deal. No details as all involved try to pretend this was never a public discussion that…

Update: That “brief” extension turned into an all-nighter for *Time Warner* Cable, which is still negotiating with News Corp (NYSE: NWS) and Scripps on behalf of itself and private cable operator Bright House. Check our comments for a taste of what they face if deals can’t be reached and Fox,…

After nearly six months of searching for a buyer for UK comparison shopping site uSwitch, Scripps Network Interactive is selling the company to the Forward Internet Group. Terms of the sale weren’t disclosed, but it was likely much smaller than the $366 million price that Scripps bought it for in…

Scripps Networks Interactive (NYSE: SNI) CEO Ken Lowe is betting heavily on international growth over the next year. In a presentation at the UBS Media Week conference, Lowe ticked off some recent deals: last month, the company took a 69 percent stake Indian broadcaster NDTV; it struck a JV with…

Indian broadcaster NDTV Ltd and US-based Scripps Network Interactive today said they were forming a strategic alliance in the lifestyle broadcasting space in India. As part of the deal, Scripps will acquire 69 percent stake in NDTV Lifestyle Ltd, with the NDTV Group retaining the rest. Scripps will pay $55…

Mark May is a principal and senior internet and digital media research analyst at Needham & Company, LLC, a full-service growth-company investment bank. Ken Sonenclar’s Leading Voices piece on Thursday titled “Five Media Deals I’d Like To See Happen In 2010” was thoroughly thought-provoking. Here are my own thoughts around…

Profits at Scripps Networks Interactive (NYSE: SNI) rose 14 percent to $65.3 million in the third quarter, while total revenue were flat. The Cincinnati-based owner of cable TV networks Food Network and HGTV, said that the revenues in the Lifestyle segment, which includes those channels website ad sales, was up…