Scripps Sports during its Upfront presentation at Barclays Center in Brooklyn this evening is planning to highlight two new marquee properties -- the group’s first investment into college basketball and the inaugural SI Women’s Games.
“We’re really enjoying our position in the distribution and visibility of women’s sports,” said Brian Lawlor, President of Scripps Sports, whose ION broadcast TV network already carries NWSL and WNBA games. “We’re really proud of the role we’re playing to elevate the visibility of women’s sports, and both of these are unique assets showcasing the best.”
ION’s debut college hoops effort is a five-year deal to carry the Elevance Health Women’s Fort Myers Tip-Off, a Thanksgiving week tournament (the 2025 teams are TBD, but last year featured squads like South Carolina, Purdue, Michigan and Iowa State). The event previously aired on Fox Sports.
“This will be a really nice complement to what we’re taking to brands and advertisers about their overall portfolio in women’s sports,” said Lawlor.
The Fort Myers Tip-Off is organized by Intersport.
Let the games begin
Sports Illustrated is also coming aboard to organize and sponsor a new all-star competition across six sports, and ION has a multiyear deal as the TV home.
The inaugural games will include basketball, gymnastics, tennis, flag football, volleyball and combat sports, taking place Oct. 28-Nov. 2 in Oceanside, Calif.
A SI spokesperson noted the brand anticipates players “primarily being current professional athletes, but depending on the sport we also look forward to potentially welcoming standout amateurs for the competitions.”
“Women’s sports deserved more visibility and reach,” said Lawlor. “We have a platform that’s more distributed than any other network, certainly more than the Warner Bros. networks or ESPN, but it’s on par with ABC, NBC, CBS.”
