After a three-month test in Phoenix, E.W. Scripps will be launching Roku channels for each of its TV stations over the next month or so.
Affiliates will be responsible for curating their own channels, although they largely will follow the model used by KNXV, Phoenix’s ABC affiliate, according to Scripps. That includes airing primarily repurposed broadcast video but prioritizing stories for OTT viewers.
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The Roku channels will also air live streams of stations' newscasts. Scripps execs said they plan to test platform-exclusive video in the near future.
“We’re positioning ourselves to be the local news brands to turn to on all of the digital platforms, including over-the-top television,” Adam Symson, Scripps’ senior VP and chief digital officer, said recently.
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“We’re obviously very focused on the OTT platform,” he said, adding that distributing content over-the-top “is as important for our local brands” as it is for the company’s national brands including video news channel Newsy and its new acquisition, Cracked.
