Satellite and streaming provider DIRECTV was forced to pull more than 50 local channels owned by the E. W. Scripps Company after a distribution agreement lapsed on Sunday without a new one in place.
The channels were dropped from DIRECTV’s satellite and online platforms just before 7 p.m. Eastern Time, according to a person familiar with the matter, who accused Scripps of demanding some of “the highest rates we’ve ever seen.”
Like other broadcasters, Scripps charges cable, satellite and some streaming providers for the privilege of carrying its local channels and multicast networks. Fees paid by those TV providers are then passed on to consumers in their bills, and is one of the leading causes of higher cable and satellite prices in recent years.
The situation is especially precarious for DIRECTV customers in San Diego, Denver and nearly a dozen other communities where Scripps owns the local ABC affiliate, as ABC is set to begin airing the NHL Stanley Cup Final on Tuesday — which is particularly problematic for local fans of the Vegas Golden Knights, since Scripps owns the local ABC affiliate in Las Vegas — and NBA Finals on Wednesday. If no agreement is in place before then, DIRECTV customers will have to use another platform, like ESPN Unlimited, to watch those games. (National networks, including Ion, which carries WNBA games, are not impacted by the dispute because carriage of those channels falls under a separate, still-active agreement.)
Additionally, DIRECTV subscribers are unable to watch local news programming from Scripps-owned stations through that platform, though a number of free streaming providers like Local Now and Tubi offer 24-hour local news feeds from those channels.
Communities that have lost one or more Scripps-owned stations on DIRECTV include Baltimore, Buffalo, Boise, Detroit, Denver, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Lexington, Milwaukee, Miami, Nashville, Omaha, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Tampa and West Palm Beach.
“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, the Chief Content Officer at DIRECTV, said in a statement e-mailed to The Desk on Sunday. “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.”
A spokesperson for Scripps said the company was negotiating toward a new agreement in good faith, and that it was DIRECTV that forced the programming blackout.
“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,” the spokesperson for Scripps said by e-mail. “By contrast, Scripps stations have gone dark only twice since we began broadcasting in the 1940s.”
One of those times occurred in April, when Comcast pulled Scripps-owned local and national channels from its Xfinity TV platform in dozens of communities. The matter was resolved about a month later.
“Scripps remains committed to reaching a fair resolution that restores our local stations to DIRECTV’s paying subscribers,” the Scripps spokesperson affirmed. “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.”
Other streaming platforms continue to offer the full line-up of programming available on Scripps-owned stations, including Hulu with Live TV, Fubo and YouTube TV.
