Programming on Scripps Local Media’s 54 broadcast stations across 36 Nielsen-designated market areas has been suspended beginning at 7 p.m. ET today, as the third-largest operator of ABC affiliates and DirecTV have reached an impasse over retransmission rates with both sides laying blame at each other’s proverbial feet.
In a statement, the multichannel distributor said Scripps is “demanding the highest rates DIRECTV has ever received from a station group, which would continue to dramatically raise costs for consumers and businesses already struggling with affordability. After DIRECTV declined those demands and sought a more reasonable agreement, Scripps chose to remove its stations from viewers in several major markets nationwide.”
With dozens of television stations going dark, DirecTV noted the outage will impact voters ahead of key state and local primary elections in June and disrupt live sports events like the upcoming NBA and NHL Stanley Cup finals on ABC and the U.S. Open golf tournament on NBC. Scripps operates 17 ABC affiliates, including KTNV-ABC in Las Vegas, where the hometown Golden Knights will face off against the Carolina Hurricanes in the NHL championship. Next week will see the highly anticipated NBA-title-deciding matchup between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs.
“Broadcasters like Scripps continue to accumulate exclusive control over local sports teams or other civic content, only to then deny viewers access at times of peak demand,” the statement from DirecTV continued. “This enables stations to leverage municipal pride and fan loyalties to demand higher guaranteed retransmission rates from distributors like DIRECTV to carry their free, over-the-air stations, despite rising regulatory and public concern over escalating television and other day-to-day costs, and amid the growing availability of multiple streaming alternatives.”
The blackout has impacted cities including Baltimore, Boise, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Denver, Detroit, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Lexington, Miami, Milwaukee, Nashville, Omaha, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Tampa-St. Petersburg and West Palm Beach, among others.
DirecTV also noted Scripps’ removal of 40 stations from Comcast Xfinity in 19 markets for over a month, starting April 1.
“We understand customers are frustrated by temporarily losing their usual access to Scripps stations and the local news, network programming, and live sports they provide,” Rob Thun, chief content officer at DirecTV, said in a statement. “Unfortunately, Scripps is demanding the highest rates we have ever seen for programming that remains available for free over-the-air and through many station, network, and third-party streaming apps. We remain committed to protecting customers from indiscriminate and unnecessary cost increases for less popular programming while still working to restore the stations that many viewers rely on.”
In a statement sent to Deadline, Scripps disputed its characterization by DirecTV, noting it has been “engaging in good-faith negotiations with DirecTV to establish an equitable agreement that serves both companies and, most importantly, consumers. Regrettably, DirecTV has elected to remove Scripps local stations from their lineup, employing the same heavy-handed tactics that have become synonymous with pay-TV operators who hurt their own subscribers by using them as bargaining chips in contractual disputes. By contrast, Scripps stations have gone dark only twice since we began broadcasting in the 1940s.”
“Scripps remains committed to reaching a fair resolution that restores our local stations to DirecTV’s paying subscribers,” the statement concluded. “At stake is our viewers’ fundamental access to trusted local journalism, critical weather alerts, emergency information and live sports programming that strengthens community bonds — all essential public interest content in which Scripps invests substantially every day.”
