After taking over the ION network and its group of stations, Scripps Broadcasting has announced plans to launch another two subchannel networks repurposing shows that first ran on cable channels.
TrueReal and Defy TV will launch on July 1 and will bring Scripps to a total of nine networks. (TrueReal was referred to as Doozy in the initial news release but was referred to by the new name in a subsequent news release.) They’ll reach 75% of the nation’s households at launch.
Regionally, Scripps owns stations in the Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Green Bay, Wausau, Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, and Omaha markets. Exact channel placement has not yet been announced.
Both networks will target viewers 25-54, with TrueReal focusing on women and Defy focusing on men.
TrueReal’s lineup will include “Storage Wars,” “Married at First Sight,” “Hoarders,” and “Little Women: LA.” Defy will carry “Pawn Stars,” “Forged in Fire,” “American Pickers,” and “The Curse of Oak Island,” among others.
“By creating compelling new network programming to distribute through ION’s spectrum, Scripps is expanding the ways it creates value from our ownership of ION and its powerful distribution platform,” Scripps Networks President Lisa Knutson said in a news release.
Many of the ION stations Scripps recently purchased have been rearranging their subchannels to add Scripps’ Court TV, Court TV Mystery, Grit, Laff, and Bounce. The company also owns Newsy, which does not have broadcast affiliates.