Greg Moyer

March 23, 2009 World Screen

President, International
Scripps Networks

 
Fifteen years ago, Scripps Networks launched its first channel in the U.S., HGTV. Since then, the company has expanded its suite of networks—with Food Network, DIY, FLN (Fine Living Network) and GAC (Great American Country)—and launched a thriving online business, dominating the lifestyle content segment in North America. With its portfolio of some 20,000 hours, Scripps is now looking for new ways to exploit that programming globally, beyond third-party sales to broadcasters. To lead this effort, Scripps turned to Greg Moyer, a self-described "nonfiction guy" with experience in launching channel brands both in the U.S. and around the world. One of the first executives hired at Discovery Channel in the U.S. in the ’80s, Moyer spent 13 years at the company before ending his run as chief creative officer to join Cablevision, where he was eventually tapped to roll out the VOOM portfolio of high-definition networks. In January of this year he joined Scripps, and is excited to take on the task of planting the company’s suite of brands on platforms across the globe.
 
"It’s time to get in the game and start to syndicate channels, branded blocks and be much more of a destination on the cable and satellite lineup," Moyer says of Scripps’ international strategy. "Some would argue we might be a little late to the game, but on the other hand I think our timing is very good."
 
Moyer cites the tremendous potential for growth presented by the rapid proliferation of IPTV and satellite platforms in both mature and developing TV markets worldwide, as well as the trend to digitization on the part of analogue cable operators. "There’s a new echo boom of opportunity, as the distribution bottlenecks that were there as recently as three to five years ago are beginning to ease up. I want to use that new opportunity for entry to position Food Network and HGTV and Fine Living Network and DIY as channels that deserve carriage in various countries around the world."
 
Acknowledging that food programming has generally been among the most popular genres in Scripps’ portfolio, Moyer adds that he’s received "requests to do every one of the channels in one form or another somewhere in the world. They all have potential and we don’t have to prioritize. We can go wherever the opportunities arise."
 
Scripps’ strong suit, Moyer says, is the size of its programming library—indeed, that was one of the qualities that attracted him to working at the company. "It’s never been assembled as a channel proposition anywhere outside of North America. I have the resources of a very deep catalogue. Much of it will travel beautifully."
 
It is, however, a challenging, and crowded, pay-TV market internationally, Moyer notes, and he is certainly open to local partnerships to facilitate his expansion strategy. "To sail around the world and launch your channel all by yourself into a new territory is not the only way to do it anymore. I’m much more interested in finding the right partners regionally or globally to take selected aspects of our brand and make a business out of them. I’m looking for people who can accelerate development, who can overcome regulatory hurdles, who can help with editorial relevance, people who can contribute distribution, all the things that make the business model that much less risky. So if I can find partners that can help me mitigate risk, I’m very much open to partnerships. That’s slightly different from the Discovery model, when we started in the ’90s—we didn’t really need partners, because people needed us as much as we wanted to be with them."
 
Moyer also cites the importance of being flexible with operators, and he is open to discussing branded blocks, VOD services and other propositions, depending on the market. A key benefit, he says, is the fact that some 20 percent of the Scripps catalogue is already in HD. "I will be able to mount an HD/SD offer pretty much anywhere I need."
 
Scripps also brings to the table a well-developed digital-media business in the U.S. "In the U.S., 42 percent of the traffic that goes to the web in the home and shelter category is going to a Scripps website, and 49 percent of all the traffic in search of food information is going to a Scripps website. I have market-share dominance in the United States around these two categories. That expertise is going to be seen as valuable to potential partners or distributors, because I’m in a position to offer that same expertise to anyone else that chooses to avail themselves of it."