Updated at 3:30pm Pacific
Less than seven years after Katz Networks and The E.W. Scripps Co. rebooted Court TV as a digital multicast offering in an environment where cord-cutting is fueling over-the-air broadcast TV consumption, Scripps has decided to sell it.
Who’s the buyer? Look no further than a company created by ABC News Chief Legal Analyst Dan Abrams.
That would be Law&Crime, a multiplatform true crime and legal content studio created and led by Abrams that is now owned by media creator holding company Jellysmack.
It marks the end of Court TV’s ownership by Scripps, which began in May 2019 as part of a significant investment in digital multicast broadcast TV networks and presaged the $2.65 billion acquisition of Ion Networks by Scripps, which closed in January 2021. But it does not end an association with Scripps, as Law&Crime has agreed to a three-year distribution deal to distribute Court TV across Scripps O&O stations across the country.
For nearly two decades through 2007, the original Court TV served cable TV audiences before becoming Tru TV under Viacom. Then, it became a diginet and by October 2019 could be seen on DT3 signals associated with such big stations as WPIX-TV in New York, WGN-TV in Chicago and KTLA-TV in Los Angeles.
Scripps’ relaunch of Court TV saw much fanfare from December 2018, when it acquired the rights to the then-dormant brand from Turner Broadcasting. Since then, The E.W. Scripps Co. has seen much in the way of evolution. Brian Lawlor, who ran its local broadcast station group, shifted to a newly created role to helm Scripps Sports. At the station group, a wholesale re-envisioning of its local news led to a wide range of leadership changes in several markets. Finances suffered, with Scripps shares falling from the mid-teens in the first quarter of 2022 to $1.30 in February 2025. As of 1:37pm Eastern, Nasdaq-traded “SSP” was trading at $3.70, up 9% on news of the Court TV divestment.
Terms were not disclosed.
Why did Scripps spin Court TV? President/CEO Adam Symson said the transaction “reflects the company’s longstanding entrepreneurial DNA.”
He added, “This move is consistent with the way Scripps has operated for nearly a century and a half: We identify where consumer behavior is headed, build and grow businesses that meet those evolving interests and make strategic decisions about how we unlock their greatest value – whether in our portfolio or through exits that strengthen our balance sheet and position us for the future. The Court TV brand we’ve built is a natural complement to Law&Crime’s existing library of crime and trial coverage.”
Abrams, who holds the title of Law&Crime CEO, added, “There is no better partner than Law&Crime to continue the distinctive Court TV brand and network. I began my career at Court TV, and we look forward to continuing its important tradition of giving viewers an inside look at some of the most fascinating and important trials. Court TV will become our hub for all trial content and coverage as its own standalone channel and brand.”
