Another detractor for the year, media company Scripps Networks (NYSE:SNI), which owns cable channels including HGTV, The Food Network, DIY, Cooking, and the Travel Channel, declined to -25% in 2015 despite rising nearly 13% in the fourth quarter. Scripps fell sharply in the third quarter along with the rest of the media industry after Disney acknowledged ongoing challenges in the pay TV landscape, and many peers followed with disappointing ratings. Scripps, unlike most of its media peers, creates and owns valuable content that attracts a specific loyal, upscale audience. For this, Scripps channels receive an advertising premium versus other, less differentiated channels. Scripps also is underpaid by distributors for the ratings points it provides. The final difference versus peers is that Scripps is much earlier in its international expansion and therefore has money-losing yet valuable international properties not credited in a simple earnings multiple. During the year the company acquired TVN, a Polish media asset that has created confusion regarding Scripps’ international expansion plans. The company’s much larger free cash flow than reported earnings makes industry price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio comparisons somewhat meaningless.
From Longleaf Partners Small-Cap Fund Commentary for 4th quarter 2015.
