E.W. SCRIPPS CoSSP
E.W. SCRIPPS Co Goodwill & Intangibles Disclosure
Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets
Goodwill by segment was as follows:
| (in thousands) | Local Media | Scripps Networks | Other | Total | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gross balance as of December 31, 2022 | $ | 1,122,408 | $ | 2,028,890 | $ | 7,190 | $ | 3,158,488 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Accumulated impairment losses | (216,914) | (21,000) | — | (237,914) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Net balance as of December 31, 2022 | 905,494 | 2,007,890 | 7,190 | 2,920,574 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Impairment charge | — | (952,000) | — | (952,000) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Balance as of December 31, 2023 | $ | 905,494 | $ | 1,055,890 | $ | 7,190 | $ | 1,968,574 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Gross balance as of December 31, 2023 | $ | 1,122,408 | $ | 2,028,890 | $ | 7,190 | $ | 3,158,488 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Accumulated impairment losses | (216,914) | (973,000) | — | (1,189,914) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Net balance as of December 31, 2024 | $ | 905,494 | $ | 1,055,890 | $ | 7,190 | $ | 1,968,574 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Gross balance as of December 31, 2024 | $ | 1,122,408 | $ | 2,028,890 | $ | 7,190 | $ | 3,158,488 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Accumulated impairment losses | (216,914) | (973,000) | — | (1,189,914) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Net balance as of December 31, 2024 | 905,494 | 1,055,890 | 7,190 | 1,968,574 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Goodwill allocated to assets held for sale | (46,737) | (3,503) | — | (50,240) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Balance as of December 31, 2025 | $ | 858,757 | $ | 1,052,387 | $ | 7,190 | $ | 1,918,334 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Gross balance as of December 31, 2025 | $ | 1,064,474 | $ | 2,022,159 | $ | 7,190 | $ | 3,093,823 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Accumulated impairment losses | (205,717) | (969,772) | — | (1,175,489) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Net balance as of December 31, 2025 | $ | 858,757 | $ | 1,052,387 | $ | 7,190 | $ | 1,918,334 | ||||||||||||||||||
Other intangible assets consisted of the following:
| As of December 31, | ||||||||||||||
| (in thousands) | 2025 | 2024 | ||||||||||||
| Amortizable intangible assets: | ||||||||||||||
| Carrying amount: | ||||||||||||||
| Television network affiliation relationships | $ | 1,025,844 | $ | 1,060,244 | ||||||||||
| Customer lists and advertiser relationships | 216,622 | 220,997 | ||||||||||||
| Other | 138,053 | 137,997 | ||||||||||||
| Total carrying amount | 1,380,519 | 1,419,238 | ||||||||||||
| Accumulated amortization: | ||||||||||||||
| Television network affiliation relationships | (362,580) | (330,233) | ||||||||||||
| Customer lists and advertiser relationships | (174,261) | (156,310) | ||||||||||||
| Other | (90,417) | (76,622) | ||||||||||||
| Total accumulated amortization | (627,258) | (563,165) | ||||||||||||
| Net amortizable intangible assets | 753,261 | 856,073 | ||||||||||||
| Indefinite-lived intangible assets — FCC licenses | 764,515 | 779,415 | ||||||||||||
| Total other intangible assets | $ | 1,517,776 | $ | 1,635,488 | ||||||||||
Estimated amortization expense of intangible assets for each of the next five years is $84.8 million in 2026, $81.7 million in 2027, $60.3 million in 2028, $60.2 million in 2029, $60.2 million in 2030 and $406.1 million in later years.
Upon our acquisition of ION Media in 2021, we simultaneously sold 23 ION television stations to INYO Broadcast Holdings to comply with ownership rules of the FCC. These divested stations became independent affiliates of ION pursuant to long-term affiliation agreements. The purchase price allocation for the ION acquisition attributed $422 million of value to these INYO affiliation agreements and are reflected as an intangible asset within our “Television network affiliation relationships” caption. The INYO affiliation agreements intangible asset is being amortized over 20 years and has a net carrying value of $317 million at December 31, 2025.
We have call options that grant us the right to acquire the assets of some or all of the 23 INYO television stations. In February 2026, we notified INYO of our exercise of all of the options. In addition to other customary closing conditions, any transaction would be subject to FCC consent and, in certain cases, waiver of FCC ownership rules. We also have the right to withdraw our exercise of any or all of the options at any time prior to closing without any further obligation other than reimbursing INYO for expenses. Each station is subject to a separate option, so the acquisition of individual station assets may occur at various dates or potentially not occur.
Goodwill and other indefinite-lived intangible assets are tested for impairment annually and any time events occur or changes in circumstances indicate it is more likely than not the fair value of a reporting unit, or respective indefinite-lived intangible asset, is below its carrying value. Such events or changes in circumstances include, but are not limited to, changes in business climate, significant declines in the price of our stock, or other factors resulting in lower cash flow related to such assets.
The quantitative analysis to measure the extent of any goodwill impairment compares the estimated fair values of our reporting units to their respective carrying values. We determine the fair value of each reporting unit with consideration to the discounted cash flow method of the income approach, the general public company method of the market approach and the guideline transactions method of the market approach. The weighting or prevalence of these methods in each annual impairment test can be impacted by current market conditions or the relevance of current data. Particularly for the discounted cash flow analysis, significant judgment is required to estimate the future cash flows derived from the business and the period of time over which those cash flows will occur, as well as to determine an appropriate discount rate. The determination of the discount rate is based on a cost of capital model, using a risk-free rate, adjusted by a stock-beta adjusted risk premium and a size premium. These reporting unit valuations are dependent on a number of significant estimates and assumptions, including macroeconomic conditions, market growth rates, competitive activities, cost containment, margin expansion and strategic business plans (inputs of which are categorized as Level 3 under the fair value hierarchy). Additionally, future changes in these assumptions and estimates with respect to long-term growth rates and discount rates or future cash flow projections, could result in significantly different estimates of the fair values.
If the fair value of a reporting unit, or respective FCC license, is less than its carrying value, then an impairment exits and an impairment charge is recorded. Upon completing our annual test in the fourth quarter of 2025, we determined that the fair value of our Local Media reporting unit exceeded its carrying value by more than 20% and that the fair value of our Scripps Networks reporting unit exceeded its carrying value by approximately 5%. Our reporting unit valuations are dependent on a number of significant estimates and assumptions, including macroeconomic conditions, market growth rates, competitive activities, cost containment and strategic business plans. While we believe the estimates and judgments used in determining the fair values were appropriate, changes in these estimates could impact the fair value and possibly result in an impairment of the goodwill in future periods. For example, a 50 basis point increase in the discount rate used for the Scripps Networks reporting unit would reduce its fair value by approximately 6%.
During 2023, the Scripps Networks business continued to experience softness within the national advertising marketplace, as macroeconomic challenges continued to impact advertising budgets. A longer than anticipated television advertising recession and the impact of declining linear television viewership trends negatively impacted expected future growth rates, profitability and the cash flows derived from the business as well as the expected period of time over which those cash flows will occur. These factors, coupled with decreases in our market capitalization, provided an indication that the fair value of our Scripps Networks reporting unit may be below its carrying value. We concluded that the fair value of our Scripps Networks reporting unit did not exceed its carrying value and we recognized $952 million in non-cash goodwill impairment charges during 2023.Historical Timeline
| Fiscal Year | Filed | |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Feb 27, 2026 | Showing above |
| 2024 | Mar 12, 2025 | |
| 2023 | Feb 23, 2024 | |
| 2022 | Feb 24, 2023 | |
| 2021 | Feb 25, 2022 | |
| 2020 | Feb 26, 2021 | |
| 2019 | Feb 28, 2020 | |
| 2018 | Mar 1, 2019 | |
| 2017 | Feb 28, 2018 | |
| 2016 | Feb 24, 2017 | |
| 2015 | Feb 26, 2016 | |
About Goodwill & Intangibles Disclosures
Goodwill and intangible asset disclosures reveal the premium paid in acquisitions and how management assesses whether that premium retains its value. Since goodwill is no longer amortized under US GAAP, the annual impairment test is the only mechanism that adjusts carrying values downward — making the assumptions behind that test critically important for investors.
Key signals: a history of goodwill impairments suggests management consistently overpays for acquisitions. Watch the gap between reporting unit fair value and carrying amount — when fair value exceeds carrying amount by less than 10-20%, a small decline in business performance could trigger a write-down. For finite-lived intangibles, examine useful life assumptions across customer relationships, technology, and trade names; aggressive estimates inflate near-term earnings. Compare total intangibles-to-total-assets ratios against peers to assess acquisition dependency. Rising goodwill as a percentage of equity can signal balance sheet fragility.