{"success":true,"data":{"pressRelease":{"id":"139086","rtpr_id":"nGNX99MzjB-20260909","ticker":"SSP","exchange":"NASDAQ","all_tickers":["SSP"],"title":"PWHL and Scripps Sports Announce National U.S. Television Partnership for 2026-27 Season","author":"Globe Newswire","published_at":"2026-09-09T12:00:03.832Z","article_body":"NEW YORK, Sept. 09, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Professional Women’s Hockey\nLeague (PWHL) and Scripps Sports today announced a national broadcast rights\nagreement for the 2026-27 season, a landmark partnership that represents the\nleague’s first season-long national television package in the United States\nbringing PWHL competition to fans throughout the season. With the league\nexpanding to 12 teams for the upcoming campaign, the agreement marks another\nsignificant milestone in the PWHL’s continued evolution.\n\nScripps Sports will produce and televise a featured Saturday “Game of the\nWeek” that will air exclusively in the U.S. on ION, Scripps’ national\nsports and entertainment network. ION is available over-the-air, across pay\ntelevision, connected TV platforms and on streaming services, reaching more\nthan 128 million households nationally.\n\nION also will return as the exclusive U.S. home for the league’s Walter Cup\nFinals, in addition to airing a Walter Cup Playoff series, continuing to\nelevate the league’s biggest moments on the national stage. Scripps Sports\nNetwork\n(https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=M-e7E8yH_SJR1tEocuU2Q9LG_dVxG7ISqnTM3w8irgYIHF4Fl5NoeuY5DiqE4BaX_zzybZN8_UThbh-lLpGxLa0Gq8tAzURg1tpAT7L1m-ToMcbSwpjref9cHk5JwJjH),\nthe free, 24/7 ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channel available on\nThe Roku Channel, Samsung TV Plus, Prime Video, Fire TV, Google TV Freeplay,\nTubi and other major streaming platforms, will also broadcast two national\nPWHL games per week.\n\nThe agreement includes Scripps’ local stations in Detroit (WMYD-TV, The Spot\n– Detroit 20) and Las Vegas (KMCC-TV, The Spot – Vegas 34) becoming the\nlocal broadcast partners for the league’s expansion teams in those markets.\n\n“A season-long national television presence in the U.S. is something we’ve\nbeen working toward and represents a significant step in our continued growth\nas a league,” said PWHL Executive Vice President of Business Operations, Amy\nScheer. “Scripps continues to be a committed partner in shining a spotlight\non women’s sports, and for the first time, our American fans will have the\nopportunity to follow the league on national television throughout an entire\nseason, making the PWHL more accessible than ever before.”\n\nBeyond the game broadcasts, Scripps is reinforcing its commitment to promoting\nthe PWHL throughout the season through dedicated marketing support, helping\ndrive awareness of the league, its players and its biggest moments.\n\n“Women’s sports is a cornerstone of our mission to create meaningful\nconnections between communities and the sports and teams they love,” said\nBrian Lawlor, president of Scripps Sports. “This partnership further\ndemonstrates ION as the premier destination for women’s sports, where\nathletes can showcase their talents on the biggest stage and fans can discover\ntheir next favorite team.”\n\nLast season, Scripps Sports and ION aired the PWHL’s first-ever game on\nnational linear television in the United States, showcasing the PWHL Takeover\nTour™ matchup between the New York Sirens and the Montréal Victoire live on\nION. In 2026, ION was also the home of the PWHL Walter Cup Finals, presented\nby Scotiabank, making live coverage of the PWHL championship series available\nto millions of U.S. households for the first time.\n\nWhile the partnership significantly expands the PWHL’s national television\npresence, every game will continue to stream live on the league’s official\nYouTube channel and thePWHL.com to fans in the U.S. and worldwide outside of\nCanada, ensuring the league remains one of the most accessible professional\nsports properties for fans around the world.\n\nThe partnership also reinforces Scripps Sports’ reputation as a trailblazer\nin women’s professional sports. Since 2023, Scripps has been the first to:\n* Establish dedicated weekly national broadcast windows for the WNBA and NWSL,\ngiving fans a consistent destination for live women’s sports coverage.\n* Deliver weekly national doubleheaders featuring WNBA games on Friday nights\nand NWSL matches on Saturday nights.\n* Enhance coverage with dedicated studio programming, including pregame,\nhalftime and postgame shows that spotlight the league, athletes and stories\nshaping each season.\nIn addition to expanding its PWHL footprint, ION broadcasts more WNBA games\nand more NWSL matches than any other national broadcaster, and the network’s\nwomen’s sports lineup also includes WTGL, the new women’s team golf league\ncreated by TMRW Sports in partnership with the LPGA, the Elevance Health\nWomen’s Fort Myers Tip-Off and Scripps Sports Women’s College Basketball\nShowcase – all taking place this fall.\n\nFor more information on how to watch ION, visit iontelevision.com\n(https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=B6Zl831c9c6DEQ2FvbDj04tc8S5Yab2Mv6I7rLH2N4MtLSOpCYhkXuMBo-FJ5R5u45td22FEL510b4KC_UCoOdrJh-JeXVIf4YD2RL7wMlc=).\n\nMedia Contact Information\nScripps – Jim Weiss – jim.weiss@scripps.com\nPWHL – Press@thepwhl.com\n\nAbout Scripps Sports\nScripps Sports\n(https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=M-e7E8yH_SJR1tEocuU2Q4o3zJvpxKF4l43h2JfPuE9PV6sUu5AwYRpC1OpiAmYjwHu5IXP0Wmh9PC-Q-PfK3tgX6ouxrOFIFNzdv7VyctSeZ-hJYYEF0Pd9jWKw40e-)\nserves professional and college sports leagues, conferences and teams with\nlocal market depth and national broadcast reach. Scripps Sports currently has\npartnerships with the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), the\nNational Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), the Professional Women’s Hockey\nLeague (PWHL), the Women’s TMRW Golf League (WTGL), Major League\nVolleyball (MLV), Pro Cheer League (PCL), ATHLOS track-and-field, the\nNational Hockey League’s (NHL) 2020 and 2021 Stanley Cup champion Tampa\nBay Lightning, 2024 and 2025 Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, 2023\nStanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights, the Utah Mammoth, the Nashville\nPredators, the Detroit Pistons of the NBA, the Las Vegas Aces of the WNBA,\nDenver Summit FC of the NWSL and the NCAA’s Big Sky Conference. Scripps\nSports is owned by The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP).\n\nAbout ION\nA leading general entertainment and sports network, ION’s lineup features\nmajor cable and broadcast shows, original series, live sports and special\nevent programming. ION is part of The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP), a\ndiversified media company focused on creating connection. As one of the\nnation’s largest local TV broadcasters, Scripps serves communities with\nquality, objective local journalism and operates a portfolio of about 60\nstations in 40 markets.\n\nAbout the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL)\nThe Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) is a professional ice hockey\nleague in North America that features the best women’s players in the world.\nAs of the 2025-26 season, it is comprised of eight teams — Boston,\nMinnesota, Montréal, New York, Ottawa, Seattle, Toronto, and Vancouver —\nwith Detroit, Hamilton, Las Vegas, and San Jose added as the 9th, 10th, 11th,\nand 12th teams ahead of the 2026-27 season. Launched on January 1, 2024, the\nPWHL has broken multiple attendance records and holds the worldwide all-time\nrecord for a women’s hockey game. The league was recognized by Sports\nBusiness Journal as the Sports Breakthrough of the Year, and ranked No. 1 in\nCanada for corporate reputation in both 2024 and 2025, according to the Harris\nPoll. Visit thepwhl.com to purchase tickets and merchandise, and subscribe to\nthe PWHL e-newsletter for the latest updates. Follow the league on social\nmedia @thepwhlofficial.\n\nPWHL, the PWHL Logo, and PWHL team names and logos are trademarks of the PWHL.\n© PWHL 2026 All Rights Reserved.\n\n\n\nGlobeNewswire, Inc. 2026","article_body_html":"","raw_payload":{"data":{"id":"nGNX99MzjB-20260909","title":"PWHL and Scripps Sports Announce National U.S. Television Partnership for 2026-27 Season","author":"Globe Newswire","ticker":"SSP","created":"2026-09-09T12:00:03.832Z","tickers":["SSP"],"exchange":"NASDAQ","article_body":"NEW YORK, Sept. 09, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Professional Women’s Hockey\nLeague (PWHL) and Scripps Sports today announced a national broadcast rights\nagreement for the 2026-27 season, a landmark partnership that represents the\nleague’s first season-long national television package in the United States\nbringing PWHL competition to fans throughout the season. With the league\nexpanding to 12 teams for the upcoming campaign, the agreement marks another\nsignificant milestone in the PWHL’s continued evolution.\n\nScripps Sports will produce and televise a featured Saturday “Game of the\nWeek” that will air exclusively in the U.S. on ION, Scripps’ national\nsports and entertainment network. ION is available over-the-air, across pay\ntelevision, connected TV platforms and on streaming services, reaching more\nthan 128 million households nationally.\n\nION also will return as the exclusive U.S. home for the league’s Walter Cup\nFinals, in addition to airing a Walter Cup Playoff series, continuing to\nelevate the league’s biggest moments on the national stage. Scripps Sports\nNetwork\n(https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=M-e7E8yH_SJR1tEocuU2Q9LG_dVxG7ISqnTM3w8irgYIHF4Fl5NoeuY5DiqE4BaX_zzybZN8_UThbh-lLpGxLa0Gq8tAzURg1tpAT7L1m-ToMcbSwpjref9cHk5JwJjH),\nthe free, 24/7 ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channel available on\nThe Roku Channel, Samsung TV Plus, Prime Video, Fire TV, Google TV Freeplay,\nTubi and other major streaming platforms, will also broadcast two national\nPWHL games per week.\n\nThe agreement includes Scripps’ local stations in Detroit (WMYD-TV, The Spot\n– Detroit 20) and Las Vegas (KMCC-TV, The Spot – Vegas 34) becoming the\nlocal broadcast partners for the league’s expansion teams in those markets.\n\n“A season-long national television presence in the U.S. is something we’ve\nbeen working toward and represents a significant step in our continued growth\nas a league,” said PWHL Executive Vice President of Business Operations, Amy\nScheer. “Scripps continues to be a committed partner in shining a spotlight\non women’s sports, and for the first time, our American fans will have the\nopportunity to follow the league on national television throughout an entire\nseason, making the PWHL more accessible than ever before.”\n\nBeyond the game broadcasts, Scripps is reinforcing its commitment to promoting\nthe PWHL throughout the season through dedicated marketing support, helping\ndrive awareness of the league, its players and its biggest moments.\n\n“Women’s sports is a cornerstone of our mission to create meaningful\nconnections between communities and the sports and teams they love,” said\nBrian Lawlor, president of Scripps Sports. “This partnership further\ndemonstrates ION as the premier destination for women’s sports, where\nathletes can showcase their talents on the biggest stage and fans can discover\ntheir next favorite team.”\n\nLast season, Scripps Sports and ION aired the PWHL’s first-ever game on\nnational linear television in the United States, showcasing the PWHL Takeover\nTour™ matchup between the New York Sirens and the Montréal Victoire live on\nION. In 2026, ION was also the home of the PWHL Walter Cup Finals, presented\nby Scotiabank, making live coverage of the PWHL championship series available\nto millions of U.S. households for the first time.\n\nWhile the partnership significantly expands the PWHL’s national television\npresence, every game will continue to stream live on the league’s official\nYouTube channel and thePWHL.com to fans in the U.S. and worldwide outside of\nCanada, ensuring the league remains one of the most accessible professional\nsports properties for fans around the world.\n\nThe partnership also reinforces Scripps Sports’ reputation as a trailblazer\nin women’s professional sports. Since 2023, Scripps has been the first to:\n* Establish dedicated weekly national broadcast windows for the WNBA and NWSL,\ngiving fans a consistent destination for live women’s sports coverage.\n* Deliver weekly national doubleheaders featuring WNBA games on Friday nights\nand NWSL matches on Saturday nights.\n* Enhance coverage with dedicated studio programming, including pregame,\nhalftime and postgame shows that spotlight the league, athletes and stories\nshaping each season.\nIn addition to expanding its PWHL footprint, ION broadcasts more WNBA games\nand more NWSL matches than any other national broadcaster, and the network’s\nwomen’s sports lineup also includes WTGL, the new women’s team golf league\ncreated by TMRW Sports in partnership with the LPGA, the Elevance Health\nWomen’s Fort Myers Tip-Off and Scripps Sports Women’s College Basketball\nShowcase – all taking place this fall.\n\nFor more information on how to watch ION, visit iontelevision.com\n(https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=B6Zl831c9c6DEQ2FvbDj04tc8S5Yab2Mv6I7rLH2N4MtLSOpCYhkXuMBo-FJ5R5u45td22FEL510b4KC_UCoOdrJh-JeXVIf4YD2RL7wMlc=).\n\nMedia Contact Information\nScripps – Jim Weiss – jim.weiss@scripps.com\nPWHL – Press@thepwhl.com\n\nAbout Scripps Sports\nScripps Sports\n(https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=M-e7E8yH_SJR1tEocuU2Q4o3zJvpxKF4l43h2JfPuE9PV6sUu5AwYRpC1OpiAmYjwHu5IXP0Wmh9PC-Q-PfK3tgX6ouxrOFIFNzdv7VyctSeZ-hJYYEF0Pd9jWKw40e-)\nserves professional and college sports leagues, conferences and teams with\nlocal market depth and national broadcast reach. Scripps Sports currently has\npartnerships with the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), the\nNational Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), the Professional Women’s Hockey\nLeague (PWHL), the Women’s TMRW Golf League (WTGL), Major League\nVolleyball (MLV), Pro Cheer League (PCL), ATHLOS track-and-field, the\nNational Hockey League’s (NHL) 2020 and 2021 Stanley Cup champion Tampa\nBay Lightning, 2024 and 2025 Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, 2023\nStanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights, the Utah Mammoth, the Nashville\nPredators, the Detroit Pistons of the NBA, the Las Vegas Aces of the WNBA,\nDenver Summit FC of the NWSL and the NCAA’s Big Sky Conference. Scripps\nSports is owned by The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP).\n\nAbout ION\nA leading general entertainment and sports network, ION’s lineup features\nmajor cable and broadcast shows, original series, live sports and special\nevent programming. ION is part of The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP), a\ndiversified media company focused on creating connection. As one of the\nnation’s largest local TV broadcasters, Scripps serves communities with\nquality, objective local journalism and operates a portfolio of about 60\nstations in 40 markets.\n\nAbout the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL)\nThe Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) is a professional ice hockey\nleague in North America that features the best women’s players in the world.\nAs of the 2025-26 season, it is comprised of eight teams — Boston,\nMinnesota, Montréal, New York, Ottawa, Seattle, Toronto, and Vancouver —\nwith Detroit, Hamilton, Las Vegas, and San Jose added as the 9th, 10th, 11th,\nand 12th teams ahead of the 2026-27 season. Launched on January 1, 2024, the\nPWHL has broken multiple attendance records and holds the worldwide all-time\nrecord for a women’s hockey game. The league was recognized by Sports\nBusiness Journal as the Sports Breakthrough of the Year, and ranked No. 1 in\nCanada for corporate reputation in both 2024 and 2025, according to the Harris\nPoll. Visit thepwhl.com to purchase tickets and merchandise, and subscribe to\nthe PWHL e-newsletter for the latest updates. Follow the league on social\nmedia @thepwhlofficial.\n\nPWHL, the PWHL Logo, and PWHL team names and logos are trademarks of the PWHL.\n© PWHL 2026 All Rights Reserved.\n\n\n\nGlobeNewswire, Inc. 2026"},"type":"article","timestamp":"2026-09-09T12:00:03.888058053Z","server_sent_at_ms":1788955203888},"received_at":"2026-09-09T12:00:03.940Z","source_url":null},"analysis":{"id":"127923","press_release_id":"139086","analysis_json":{"industry":{"label":"Broadcasting","sector":"Communication Services"},"redFlags":["Financial terms of the rights agreement (rights fees) not disclosed"],"eventType":"partnership","narrative":"Scripps Sports and the PWHL announced a national broadcast rights agreement for the 2026-27 season, the league's first season-long national television package in the United States.\n\nUnder the deal, ION will air a Saturday Game of the Week reaching more than 128 million U.S. households and returns as the exclusive U.S. home of the Walter Cup Finals, while the Scripps Sports Network FAST channel adds two national PWHL games per week.\n\nScripps' local stations in Detroit and Las Vegas become local broadcast partners for the league's expansion teams as the PWHL grows to 12 clubs.\n\nNo financial terms were disclosed; the agreement deepens Scripps' women's sports portfolio that already includes the WNBA and NWSL.","sentiment":"bullish","agentHooks":{"shouldPost":false,"suggestedAngle":"Scripps locks in the PWHL's first season-long national U.S. TV package, cementing ION as the leading national home of women's sports."},"keyFigures":{"customDimensions":{"pwhl_teams_2026_27":12,"ion_household_reach":"more than 128 million households nationally","scripps_station_footprint":"about 60 stations in 40 markets","fast_channel_national_games_per_week":2}},"quotedText":"Women’s sports is a cornerstone of our mission to create meaningful connections between communities and the sports and teams they love","namedEntities":{"people":[{"name":"Amy Scheer","role":"PWHL Executive Vice President of Business Operations"},{"name":"Brian Lawlor","role":"President of Scripps Sports"}],"products":["ION","Scripps Sports Network","Walter Cup","PWHL Takeover Tour"],"companies":[{"name":"The E.W. Scripps Company","ticker":"SSP","relationship":"filer"},{"name":"Scripps Sports","relationship":"sports division of the filer"},{"name":"Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL)","relationship":"rights partner"},{"name":"ION","relationship":"national network owned by the filer"},{"name":"WNBA","relationship":"existing league partner"},{"name":"National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)","relationship":"existing league partner"},{"name":"Scotiabank","relationship":"sponsor (Walter Cup Finals presenter)"}],"dollarAmounts":[]},"materialImpact":{"score":2,"reasoning":"A national media-rights partnership that deepens Scripps' women's sports lineup and expands ION's live content, but no financial terms (rights fees) were disclosed. Strategic, not market-moving, for a mid-cap broadcaster."},"tickerRelevance":{"others":[],"primary":"SSP"},"globalImportance":22,"audienceRelevance":20,"eventTypeSecondary":[],"importanceComponents":{"tickerTier":"mid-cap","eventGravity":"partnership-announcement-no-financial-terms","sectorWeight":"media/broadcasting","householdBrandBoost":false,"retailFavoriteBoost":false}},"event_type":"partnership","event_type_secondary":null,"sentiment":"bullish","material_impact_score":2,"narrative":"Scripps Sports and the PWHL announced a national broadcast rights agreement for the 2026-27 season, the league's first season-long national television package in the United States.\n\nUnder the deal, ION will air a Saturday Game of the Week reaching more than 128 million U.S. households and returns as the exclusive U.S. home of the Walter Cup Finals, while the Scripps Sports Network FAST channel adds two national PWHL games per week.\n\nScripps' local stations in Detroit and Las Vegas become local broadcast partners for the league's expansion teams as the PWHL grows to 12 clubs.\n\nNo financial terms were disclosed; the agreement deepens Scripps' women's sports portfolio that already includes the WNBA and NWSL.","key_figures":{"customDimensions":{"pwhl_teams_2026_27":12,"ion_household_reach":"more than 128 million households nationally","scripps_station_footprint":"about 60 stations in 40 markets","fast_channel_national_games_per_week":2}},"named_entities":{"people":[{"name":"Amy Scheer","role":"PWHL Executive Vice President of Business Operations"},{"name":"Brian Lawlor","role":"President of Scripps Sports"}],"products":["ION","Scripps Sports Network","Walter Cup","PWHL Takeover Tour"],"companies":[{"name":"The E.W. Scripps Company","ticker":"SSP","relationship":"filer"},{"name":"Scripps Sports","relationship":"sports division of the filer"},{"name":"Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL)","relationship":"rights partner"},{"name":"ION","relationship":"national network owned by the filer"},{"name":"WNBA","relationship":"existing league partner"},{"name":"National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)","relationship":"existing league partner"},{"name":"Scotiabank","relationship":"sponsor (Walter Cup Finals presenter)"}],"dollarAmounts":[]},"model_name":"glm-5.3-flash","prompt_hash":"sha256:727b4b9429a443af","schema_hash":"sha256:05005c02d9cffac9","created_at":"2026-09-09T12:04:22.003Z","global_importance":22,"audience_relevance":20,"importance_components":{"tickerTier":"mid-cap","eventGravity":"partnership-announcement-no-financial-terms","sectorWeight":"media/broadcasting","householdBrandBoost":false,"retailFavoriteBoost":false}},"durationMs":32797,"modelName":"glm-5.3-flash"}}