Related Party Disclosures

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2015

Related Party Transactions [Abstract]

Related Party Transactions

23. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

The Company has a retransmission consent compensation agreement (the “Retransmission Agreement”) with The E. W. Scripps Company (“EWS”) as a result of the spin-off from EWS in 2008. Members of the Scripps family who are parties to the Scripps Family Amended and Restated Agreement (the “Scripps Family Agreement”) hold a controlling interest in EWS, therefore EWS is a related party of the company. The Scripps Family Agreement governs the transfer and voting of all common voting shares held by certain descendants of Robert P. Scripps, descendants of John P. Scripps, certain trusts of which descendants of John P. Scripps or Robert P. Scripps are trustees or beneficiaries and an estate of a descendent of Robert P. Scripps, who are signatories to such agreement.

Under the Retransmission Agreement, SNI made payments to EWS totaling $4.8 million, $12.6 million and $12.2 million for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively. These amounts are included in selling, general and administrative in the consolidated statements of operations.

The Company surrenders a portion of its taxable losses incurred in the UK to UKTV as consortium relief in accordance with the UK tax law.  UKTV compensates the Company for the use of the taxable losses at a rate of 83.3 percent.  As of December 31, 2015, December 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, the Company recognized a tax benefit related to the surrender of UK losses of approximately $7.9 million, $1.3 million and $1.4 million, respectively. The net receivable due related to these tax benefits was approximately $4.5 million, $0.8 million and $3.1 million, respectively as of December 31, 2015, December 31, 2014, and December 31, 2013.