AUDIENCE & CUSTOMERS
With the acquisition now approved, Discovery President and CEO David Zaslav announced that the merged company would control a 20 percent share of ad-supported cable audience in the United States. Zaslav also told analysts that the company would own five of the top cable networks for women and that it would reach over 175 countries internationally,
Scripps channels are viewed by 32.5 percent of American households, according to a report by Simmons OneView. The report also showed that women are 31 percent more likely to watch Scripps channels than men.
The most popular channels among women are HGTV, the Cooking Channel, Do-It-Yourself and Food Network; men are more likely to watch the Travel Channel and Great American Country. Scripps is generally not popular among the male demographic and are 16 percent less likely to watch any Scripps channel, according to the same Simmons OneView report.
Scripps channels are generally more popular among older viewers; people over the age of 50 are 25 percent more likely to tune into a Scripps channel than the 18 to 34 demographic. However, viewership is the most consistent in the 35 to 49 demographic.
While Scripps does well among older audiences, they have a harder time reaching 18 to 34-year-old viewers. Younger audiences are 15 percent less likely to watch Scripps, according to Simmons.
Across races, HGTV and DIY are the most popular among white audiences, while African Americans are more likely to watch the Cooking Channel, Great American Country and DIY than HGTV and the Travel Channel; the Cooking Channel, the Travel Channel and Food Network are most popular among Asian audiences. Hispanic viewers are 32 percent less likely to watch Scripps channels.
The Simmons report showed that geographic location does not have a strong influence over Scripps’ audience, but its channels are slightly more popular in the Northeast and Midwest than in the South and West. HGTV is their most popular channel across the board, followed closely by Food Network.