ZASLAV ON THE HUNT

Scripps in sights

Discovery Communications boss David Zaslav is giving “Shark Week” a whole new meaning.

The owner of several cable-TV networks is in talks to acquire Scripps Networks Interactive, owner of Food Network and HGTV, The Post has confirmed.

Discovery, which owns its namesake network as well as Animal Planet, has hired bankers, according to industry sources who cautioned that discussions are in the early stages and could fall apart without a deal.

The negotiations, which have heated up in recent weeks, have yet to center on price, sources added.

Zaslav was spotted last week at the Allen & Co. mogulfest in Sun Valley, Idaho, hanging out with Scripps Chief Executive Ken Lowe.

Key gatekeepers for the deal include cable-TV tycoon John Malone, whose 3-percent stake in Discovery is coupled with a 28-percent voting stake, and publishing magnate Si Newhouse, patriarch of Condé Nast, who owns a similar-size voting stake.

Together, the two moguls will effectively control Discovery’s next moves, insiders said.

Shares of Discovery jumped 4.3 percent on Wednesday, to $27.18, while Scripps shares soared 15 percent, to $76.89.

The Wall Street Journal first reported the on-again, off-again talks had been rekindled.

The two last discussed a get-together three years ago, but those talks never went anywhere, sources said.

But the media landscape has changed significantly since then, with pay-TV subscribers declining, distributors offering cheaper limited TV packages and live TV ratings under pressure.

Indeed, both Discovery and Scripps have been in recent talks with Viacom and AMC Networks to offer an entertainment-only “skinny bundle” for cable-TV cord cutters, according to sources.

Scripps also appears to have been a target of the Redstone family-controlled Viacom, according to several reports.

Discovery’s Zaslav has made a big global bet on sports, acquiring rights to the Olympics to air on its Eurosport network of channels and via online assets. Now, it appears he wants more scale on the domestic front, too.

Scripps, however, which is controlled by a family trust, is considered to be a tricky acquisition. catkinson@nypost.com