10 Feb Dan Abrams’ Law&Crime Network Acquires Court TV

E.W. Scripps announced on Monday that it is selling Court TV to Law&Crime, which was founded by Dan Abrams.

Abrams sold Law&Crime to the media creator company Jellysmack in 2023 for a reported $125 million, though he remains the company’s chief executive.

Court TV has been a staple of cable television for decades, but Law&Crime plans to take the channel to streaming. “The goal is going to be to try to transform what is a legacy media company into a YouTube and digital-media-first business,” Abrams said in an interview with The New York Times. Abrams also stated that Court TV will maintain its programming on basic cable, but some content may be developed for YouTube or social media platforms.

The deal values Court TV at somewhere less than the $125 million paid for Law&Crime. Scripps acquired the rights to Court TV from Turner Broadcasting in 2018, and the program “has since covered high-profile trials including the defamation case Johnny Depp brought against Amber Heard and her countersuit, as well as the murder trial for Alex Murdaugh,” The New York Times said. 

Variety and Deadline also reported on the sale, with Deadline stating, “Court TV rode the momentum of cable television through the 1990s and 2000s and took advantage of permissive rules in states like California allowing cameras in courtrooms… Court TV was a trailblazer in gavel-to-gavel coverage of legal proceedings…” Variety revealed that Abrams plans to keep Court TV as a distinct brand separate from Law&Crime. 

Abrams told The New York Times that the heart of Court TV will stay the same, focusing more on trials while Law&Crime will focus more on true-crime dramas. The Law&Crime network offers live trials, commentary, and crime documentaries, while Court TV brings viewers into courtrooms for everything from murder trials to defamation cases.

In Scripps’ official statement, Adam Symson, Scripps president and CEO, said the transaction reflects the company’s longstanding entrepreneurial DNA. “This move is consistent with the way Scripps has operated for nearly a century and a half: We identify where consumer behavior is headed, build and grow businesses that meet those evolving interests and make strategic decisions about how we unlock their greatest value – whether in our portfolio or through exits that strengthen our balance sheet and position us for the future,” said Symson. “The Court TV brand we’ve built is a natural complement to Law&Crime’s existing library of crime and trial coverage.” 

“There is no better partner than Law&Crime to continue the distinctive Court TV brand and network,” said Abrams in Scripps’ official statement. “I began my career at Court TV, and we look forward to continuing its important tradition of giving viewers an inside look at some of the most fascinating and important trials. Court TV will become our hub for all trial content and coverage as its own standalone channel and brand.”

“Fifteen, 20 years ago, it was legacy media companies that would acquire a digital first,” Abrams said about the acquisition. “And here we are as a YouTube-first and digital-first true-crime company acquiring a legacy media.”

Read the full New York Times article here and Scripps’ official statement here. Read the full Variety article here and Deadline article here.