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Scripps Deal to Buy Several Popular Over-the-Air TV Networks Gets Federal Approval

A few weeks ago it was announced that Scripps had agreed to Katz the company behind Bounce TV, Grit, Escape, and Laff. Scripps seems to be hoping to help build up their over the air TV presences as the once forgotten TV option is seeing a rebirth in the world of cord cutting.

“In today’s fragmented television ecosystem, a growing number of viewers are consuming content from new over-the-air networks as a complement to over-the-top services,” said Rich Boehne, Scripps chairman, president-CEO. “The entrepreneurs at Katz were among the first to take full advantage of this resurgence in over-the-air viewing. We were early investors in the company, and it’s a strategy and team we know well.

Now that deal has been cleared of any Antitrust concerns. According to the Justice Department, they found no reason to file suit to block the deal or impose conditions on the sale.

Katz describes each network as follows:

Bounce TV was launched in 2011 and is the first and only African-American broadcast network on television. The Bounce programming lineup features original dramas and off-network series, movies, specials, live sports, and more.

Grit, which launched in 2014 targeting men ages 25–54, offers a lineup of Western, war, and action films.

Escape, also launched in 2014 to reach women ages 25–54, offers programming anchored in stories of investigation and mystery.

Laff, the nation’s first over-the-air network devoted to comedy around the clock, went live in 2015 with contemporary off-network sitcoms and popular movies geared toward an audience of adults ages 18–49.

Want to see if you get any of these channels? Check out AntennaRecommendations.com to find out what you can get with an antenna.

Source: B&C

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