Scripps' Newsy Grabs A NewFronts Spot

Newsy, the Millennial-focused news site owned by the E.W. Scripps Company, is aiming to up its profile, and will take over a newly vacated spot on the NewFronts schedule, the IAB and Scripps are expected to announce today.

It will present on Monday, May 9 at 6 p.m., in a spot that Defy Media was to occupy. Defy’s presentation has moved to Tuesday May 3 at noon in the slot where Mode Media was originally placed. Mode has decided not to present.

Newsy has an interesting history, started in 2008 as a partnership with the University of Missouri’s journalism school, and based in Columbia, Mo. Scripps acquired it for $35 million in 2013.

Its site reports news traditionally but also by aggregating in a straightforward manner, telling viewers how various news media are reporting an important story. It’s an unusual approach that at times seems to shed as much light on news organizations’ different perspectives or abilities as it does the news story itself.

Last year Newsy was named to Apple TV’s Best of 2015 list that showcases the year’s most innovative apps and games from  its App Store.

Blake Sabatinelli, the general manager, explained in an email exchange that while half of its viewers come via mobile devices, but “we look at mobile -- both in-app and Web -- as a marketing platform for our presence on over-the-top platforms and next-gen MVPD's like Sling TV.” 

Newsy is already a part of other OTT platforms including Roku, Amazon Fire, and Comcast’s Watchable.

Sabatinelli claims Newsy over-indexes on millennial viewers and its videos are watched “around 100 million times a month.” Newsy also shows up on other Scripps properties, online and and on-air, but Sabatinelli says, “the main focus is now on building Newsy into a strong standalone brand.” 

It’s also upped its advertising profile, hiring agency veteran Andy Brownell to create advertising partnerships including native advertising.

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