Scripps eyes selling Bounce, its African-American multicast network

E.W. Scripps is reportedly considering offers to sell off Bounce, its multicast channel targeted at Black and African-Americans, according to CNBC.

Interest in the network appears to have been, at least in part, spurred after Paramount Global considered selling BET, its cable channel aimed at a similar audience, in 2023. Paramount ended up backtracking on the deal and kept BET its portfolio.

Scripps didn’t elaborate on who might be interested in Bounce. CNBC analysis suggests the network could go for hundreds of millions of dollars.

Bounce became part of Scripps in 2017 when it bout Kat Networks for over $300 million. In an interview on CNBC, Scripps CEO Adam Symson described the company as being being proud of its “stewardship” of the Bounce brand.

The potential sale comes at a time with significant moves in Black media.

In addition to still owned BET, Paramount also owns Dabl, a network marketed as a “strong Black comedy” offering, which rebranded in December 2023.

Meanwhile, Tyler Perry inked a major new deal with BET and streamer BET+. Perry also owns part of BET+.

Comedian and TV host Steve Harvey has also ventured into digital by inking a deal with Dr. Phil’s Merit Street Media. Harvey also became an investor in the venture created by the former syndicated talk show host and psychologist.

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Other networks targeted at Black Americans include TheGrio TV, Fox Soul and multiple sub-brands of BET including BET Her.

On the other hand, after the 2020 launch of the Black News Channel was a high-profile failure in the segment, with the operation shuttering after about two-and-a-years of operations. BNC declared bankruptcy after being unable to find a viable business model for its offering.