StockWatch
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E.W. SCRIPPS Co Q1 FY26 Results

SSPQ1 FY26 Results
Filing
MetricValue ($ M)Q1 FY25
Revenue516.871.4%
Total Income516.871.4%
Expenditure492.101.0%
PBT-4.4573.0%
Net Profit-1.7948.3%
OPM4.79%0.45pp
NPM-0.35%0.31pp
EPS-0.209.1%
View full financials

E.W. Scripps Reports Q1 2026 Revenue of $517 Million

08 May 2026 · 8 May, 5:41 pm

Summary

The E.W. Scripps Company reported $517 million in revenue for Q1 2026. The loss attributable to shareholders was $18 million, or 20 cents per share. Core advertising revenue in the Local Media division increased by 7% on an adjusted combined basis, driven by NHL agreements and major sporting events. Scripps is focused on its transformation plan, targeting EBITDA growth through cost savings and revenue initiatives, and is capitalizing on live sports opportunities.

Key Highlights

  1. 1

    The E.W. Scripps Company reported revenue of $517 million for the first quarter of 2026.

  2. 2

    Loss attributable to Scripps shareholders was $18 million, or 20 cents per share, for Q1 2026.

  3. 3

    Core advertising revenue in the Local Media division increased 7% on an adjusted combined basis in the first quarter.

  4. 4

    Political advertising revenue in the Local Media division was $9 million in the first quarter.

  5. 5

    Local Media revenue was $342 million, up 5% from the prior-year quarter.

  6. 6

    Scripps Networks revenue was $176 million, down 11% from the prior-year quarter.

  7. 7

    Net leverage at the end of the first quarter was 3.9x.

Management Comments

A

Adam Symson

We’re moving through the second quarter with real momentum, fueled by progress toward our transformation goals, the ongoing successes with our Scripps Sports strategy and meaningful reductions in our leverage ratio. We are on track in the execution of our ambitious plans to improve company EBITDA by at least 30% over the next two years. Hundreds of colleagues from every area of the company have come together to identify more than 1,000 cost savings and revenue growth initiatives. Our execution plans leverage AI, automation and other technology to fundamentally improve how we operate. The magnitude of our transformation is evident in the early changes to our leverage ratio and the improvement we’ll continue to see on our balance sheet. We plan to use proceeds from midterm political advertising revenue to make meaningful further progress. We’re also capitalizing on live sports across both divisions’ portfolios. Tomorrow night, the WNBA regular season tips off with a double-header on our ION network and tremendous excitement about the return of Caitlin Clark and this year’s class of draft picks. We’ll once again broadcast the most WNBA games of any network, bringing a double-header every Friday night to fans nationwide. We’re also seeing continued strong advertiser demand for our broadcasts of women’s professional soccer, hockey, volleyball, track, pro cheer, rodeo and college basketball. We recognized early that Americans were embracing the quality and professionalism of women’s sports, and we’re pleased to have become the go-to source for brands that want to connect with fans. We continue to expand on our opportunity, having recently announced a new partnership with the NHL’s Nashville Predators for local broadcast, and with the PBR for Premier Women’s Rodeo, which we’ll bring to Grit, ION and our new streaming channel, Scripps Sports Network. In March, we launched the network to build on our leadership in sports and leverage our existing sports rights. Through this network, we’re delivering more than 100 live games a year, original sports programming, documentaries and sports talk shows. This is shaping up to be a pivotal year for our company. We’re using the word transformation to describe how all of us at Scripps are questioning what we do, how we do it and why, with a goal of forming the optimal organizational structure to position us to grow, inside our current businesses and beyond. Through that growth, we will continue to serve our audiences, advertisers, sports fans and communities with objective journalism, meaningful personal connection, live sports and quality entertainment – and at the same time, create new shareholder value.

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