Scripps Networks Selects Endeca for New Food Network Website

Business Wire, Oct 8, 2008

FoodNetwork.com first site to leverage Endeca's new Page Builder publishing tool

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Endeca Technologies, Inc., a search and information access software company, today announced that SN Digital - the interactive division of Scripps Networks, the leader in lifestyle media, and home to Web sites including the No. 1 content site in home, HGTV.com, and the No. 1 site in food, FoodNetwork.com, has selected and deployed Endeca's search, navigation and content publishing capabilities on the recently unveiled, all-new Food Network site. The refreshed site, launched in September 2008 is the first ever to leverage Endeca's new Page Builder tool, which empowers editors and business users to create, customize and manage dynamic landing and topic pages, without the need for IT or developer resources. The resulting pages on FoodNetwork.com - focused on popular ingredients, celebrity chefs, seasonal specialties and more -- are designed using templates and drag-and-drop features that allow SN Digital editors to quickly adapt to changing business needs.

The modular and configurable pages built with Endeca's Page Builder combine elements like relevant product placements, recipe collections, contextual ads, banner images, photographs, videos and search results for that particular topic. For example, a topic page on Chicken was built for FoodNetwork.com using pluggable components that allow for buying tips, a slide show featuring "easy ideas" for chicken, cooking tips, top rated recipes, videos covering chicken recipes from Food Network's popular TV shows, top cooking techniques, and more. Any and all of the elements, as well as the layout itself, can be changed or updated without the need for coding. This is especially important as new shows come online; new product offerings are available or even to account for seasonal changes.

Similar capabilities will be extended to other SN Digital web properties. The HGTV website was also recently upgraded with Endeca's search, Guided Navigation[R] and Content Spotlighting capabilities. And Endeca's search and Guided Navigation capabilities have been used to power the highly popular "recipe finder" feature on FoodNetwork.com since early 2008.

"Scripps Networks strong lifestyle brands strive to offer a true 360[deg] experience, allowing our users to move between touch points including TV, Web and mobile. Central to creating an immersive, positive Web experience is providing site visitors with quick access to relevant content, while exposing the wealth of desirable, ever-changing content," said Sarah Cottay, Vice President of software development for SN Digital. Adds Sharon Lewis, Director of SN Digital system software and engineering, "The Endeca product enables the FoodNetwork.com site to deliver a compelling experience by providing efficient access to a wealth of diverse yet relevant content and popular on-air talent. It's extensive and flexible functionality allows us to quickly adapt to changing requirements and create targeted revenue generating opportunities."

SN Digital's use of the Page Builder tool is the first of its kind in the industry. A core component of Endeca's business tool suite, Page Builder lets non-technical users create and publish dynamic landing and topic pages that change based on how people search or navigate a website. For example, an editor can choose from a variety of templates and then populate with banners, navigation, images, products, advertisements, video, and other content or design elements. These elements can be wrapped around results lists or can be landing pages triggered by certain keywords or navigation selections. As demands change - seasonal changes, new popular shows, cross-medium promotions -- editors can change the content options and even the layout of the pages without the need for web developer or IT resources.

"Scripps Networks offers a great example of how publishers can leverage their expertise and high-value content to attract visitors, differentiate themselves from competitors and create new revenue streams," said Steve Papa, CEO of Endeca. "This fresh and foundational use of information access technology - powering not only the search box but a large percentage of the overall user experience - continues to be a primary area of investment for Endeca. And it offers a glimpse at the future of web publishing infrastructure."

About Scripps Networks

Scripps Networks is comprised of the lifestyle television brands HGTV, Food Network, DIY Network, Fine Living Network and country music network Great American Country (GAC). Scripps is the dominant media and marketing company in the home, food and lifestyle categories, developing content for television and the Internet, where on-air programming is complemented with an array of broadband video, social media areas and e-commerce components on companion Web sites that attract more than 18.5 million unique visitors each month.

In addition, Scripps Networks has launched HGTV and Food Network in high definition and is aggressively developing its emerging media platforms for broadband and video on demand. Scripps Networks also acquired popular recipe Web site Recipezaar.com and Incando Corp. in order to deepen its user-generated content capabilities. Scripps Networks' brands collectively are available in more than 170 countries and territories on all seven continents. They also are distributed to more than 1,000 outlets on U.S. military bases and U.S. embassies around the world via the American Forces Radio and Television Service.