SNI Promotes Franklin To EVP of Digital

Scripps Networks Interactive Tamara Franklin, who has been guiding distribution of the company’s lifestyle content onto emerging video platforms and services, has been named executive vice president of digital. In her new role, Franklin will work with the company’s digital business units to coordinate overall strategy and activity, focusing on an integrated company-wide approach to digital video production and distribution. 

Franklin previously had been serving as the company’s senior vice president of affiliate operations and new media distribution.

Scripps Networks Interactive’s television and digital brands include HGTV, Food Network, Travel Channel, DIY Network, Cooking Channel and Great American Country. The company also operates ulive, a lifestyle site and distribution platform that offers video from Scripps channels as well as more than 70 original series.

Franklin will report to Burton Jablin, president of the company’s Scripps Networks operating division.

“Tamara Franklin has a stellar reputation for forward thinking, strong relationships throughout the industry, and an extensive background in emerging technologies and new business development,” Jablin said in a release. “We intend to leverage those talents as audience demand for our lifestyle video content extends beyond television. We believe her deep knowledge of the business and valuable insights into consumer behavior will help drive the success of our powerful brands in these new digital spaces.”

As head of new media distribution, Franklin has been instrumental in the development and recent rollout of several TV Everywhere apps for Scripps Networks Interactive television brands. She also led the successful negotiation and subsequent distribution of the company’s content on Amazon’s Prime Instant Video service. Going forward she will coordinate digital projects across the company, including video, web, social, mobile, on-demand and others. 

Prior to joining Scripps in 2009, Franklin served as vice president of business development at Turner Broadcasting System (TBS), where she was responsible for emerging technology distribution deals with a focus on wireless distribution platforms. Prior to TBS, she served as director of new business development and strategic marketing for Motorola, where she was responsible for the development of new business and partnerships for iDEN, Motorola’s wireless division. Earlier in her career, Franklin was a strategic management and business development consultant with Bain & Company. In 2013, she was a Multichannel News "Wonder Woman." She is based at SNI headquarters in Knoxville, Tenn.