Observed Signal · Feb 11, 2026 · Acquisition · Source: State of Streaming · Impact: 3/5 · Sentiment: Positive
Law&Crime Acquires Court TV from Scripps
Dan Abrams’ Law&Crime is acquiring the Court TV brand from The E.W. Scripps Company, a deal announced on Feb 11, 2026. The acquisition places the legacy Court TV brand under the ownership of Jellysmack, the parent of Law&Crime, and follows Jellysmack’s 2023 purchase of Law&Crime. Scripps said the sale will strengthen its balance sheet; Scripps President and CEO Adam Symson described the brand as a natural complement to Law&Crime’s library. Law&Crime will operate Court TV as a distinct brand and position it as the network’s primary destination for trial coverage. The deal gives Law&Crime control of a brand known for high-profile trial coverage, including the Depp vs. Heard trial.
Acquisition of an established TV brand by a digital-native media company signals consolidation between legacy broadcast brands and creator-led digital publishers, affecting content ownership and advertising inventory but not an industry-level technical or regulatory shift.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Law&Crime is acquiring the Court TV brand from The E.W. Scripps Company.
- The transaction was announced on 2026-02-11.
- Court TV will be owned/operated under Jellysmack, Law&Crime’s parent company.
- Scripps said the sale will strengthen its balance sheet; Adam Symson (Scripps President and CEO) commented on the move.
- Law&Crime will run Court TV as a distinct brand focused on trial coverage; the brand is known for high-profile trials such as Depp vs. Heard.
Connected Companies & Entities
2 Entities mappedRelated Market Signals & Shifts
Recent verified developments and strategic activity across this market segment.
Court TV Turns 35; Sold to Law&Crime
Court TV first launched as a cable network on July 1, 1991, founded by legal publisher Steven Brill and initially backed by partners including Time Warner. The channel pioneered live, gavel-to-gavel courtroom coverage and later attracted mass attention with high-profile trials such as the Menendez brothers and the O.J. Simpson case. The original network was rebranded to truTV in 2008 after ownership changes, then the Court TV brand was revived in 2019 when E.W. Scripps (via Katz Broadcasting) acquired the IP and relaunched it as an over-the-air and streaming-focused service emphasizing live trial coverage and true-crime programming. The article notes Court TV is being sold again to the Law&Crime network; no immediate programming changes are expected. The piece marks the network's 35th anniversary and reviews its evolution and role in bringing courtroom proceedings to mass audiences.
Court TV Streaming App Profile
State of Streaming’s publisher page for Court TV presents a profile of the free streaming app owned by E.W. Scripps Company. Court TV (founded 2019) is headquartered in Atlanta, GA, and focuses on live trial coverage, true crime programming and legal analysis. The page links to related State of Streaming coverage (including a note that Law&Crime acquired Court TV on Feb 11, 2026) and to other site resources such as articles, briefings, podcast and directory listings. The content functions as a publisher/app directory entry rather than an in-depth news article.
State of Streaming Adds Law & Crime Network
State of Streaming publishes a directory/profile page that lists recent articles about streaming, CTV and advertising topics and includes a profile entry for Law & Crime Network. The Law & Crime Network entry identifies it as a streaming app headquartered in New York, NY, founded in 2017 by Dan Abrams. The profile describes the service as a niche, free news streaming network that offers a free live trial and provides 24/7 courtroom coverage and legal analysis. The page links to the network's website (lawandcrime.com) and aggregates multiple State of Streaming articles on CTV, ad tech, contextual targeting, and related topics. The site shows a 2026 copyright year for State of Streaming.
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