Verizon and Scripps Networks Interactive Turn Up Mobile Video Offering With Agreement

NEW YORK, June 25, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon has announced a multi-year content licensing agreement with Scripps Networks Interactive, one of the world's leading developers of lifestyle video content, for Verizon's mobile first video offering. The agreement includes content from Scripps Networks Interactive brands including Food Network, HGTV, Travel Channel, DIY Network and Cooking Channel and will be available to Verizon Wireless customers later this year.

More than 45 compelling lifestyle series will be available for streaming on the mobile first video offering including House Hunters, (HGTV), Cutthroat Kitchen (Food Network), Bizarre Foods, (Travel Channel), Rehab Addict (DIY Network) and My Grandmother's Ravioli (Cooking Channel).

"As mobile consumption continues to increase, it's important that we provide audiences with the opportunity to enjoy the series and videos they love across the fullest possible range of devices," said Henry Ahn, executive vice president of content distribution for Scripps Networks Interactive. "Great content will always connect with audiences, and this agreement with Verizon provides new and existing viewers with another way to engage with our powerful lifestyle brands."

"Beyond convenience, it is first-choice content on a first-choice platform," said Terry Denson, vice president of content strategy and acquisition at Verizon. "And being able to deliver this seamlessly via mobile, to an audience that is passionate about these genres is that much more powerful."

In the US, young millennials' (18-24 year olds) OTT consumption of original digital video increased 21 percent in 2014 according to a recent study done by NScreenMedia, and while OTT viewership on PCs is still most popular among millennials, smartphone viewing increased 10 percent from 2014 to 2015 according to an Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) study. Consumers increasingly demand 24/7 access to great entertainment, informative programs and popular videos, no matter where they are and no matter what wireless device they have in their pockets. 

About Scripps Networks Interactive 
Scripps Networks Interactive, Inc. is one of the leading developers of engaging lifestyle content in the home, food and travel categories for television, the Internet and emerging platforms. The company's lifestyle media portfolio comprises popular television and Internet brands HGTV, DIY Network, Food Network, Cooking Channel, Travel Channel and Great American Country, which collectively reach more than 177 million consumers each month. Companion websites complement on-air programming with video and social media that inform and inspire. The company's global networks reach millions of consumers across North and South America, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Scripps Networks Interactive is headquartered in Knoxville, Tenn.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ), headquartered in New York, delivers broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to consumer, business, government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, with 108.6 million retail connections nationwide. Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America's most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers integrated business solutions to customers worldwide. For more information, visit www.verizon.com/news/.

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SOURCE Verizon

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