Satellite and streaming television provider DIRECTV is set to lose dozens of local TV stations owned by the E. W. Scripps Company at the end of the month, The Desk has learned.
The situation comes as a contract that allows DIRECTV to carry more than 50 local Scripps-owned stations expires at the end of the week, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Scripps began warning some viewers of its local newscasts about the matter on Thursday, saying DIRECTV subscribers may lose access to their local news and network-affiliated programming if a new agreement isn’t reached.
In a statement sent to The Desk on Thursday, a spokesperson for DIRECTV said the companies continue to work toward a new agreement, but charged Scripps with demanding a substantial fee increase for continued carriage of its channels.
“We’re working with Scripps Media to renew its local broadcast stations, yet Scripps is seeking a major rate increase to allow our customers to access the same programs that those stations or their national broadcast networks already make available for free over the air and often online,” the DIRECTV spokesperson said. “We want our customers to receive the best value for their money and appreciate their patience while we work with Scripps to finalize this renewal.”
On the websites of some of its local TV stations, Scripps told viewers it was a “priority is to make sure that you continue to have access to the sports, news, weather and traffic updates that support your daily life, in addition to all the great programs we know you love.”
The statement affirmed that Scripps was seeking a “fair deal” for its channels, but warned DIRECTV was likely to remove stations in the near future.
Scripps said viewers in affected areas can still access their local stations with an antenna, with local news available on free streaming apps like LG Channels, Samsung TV Plus and the Live TV section of Amazon’s Prime Video. All local channel programming is also available on cable-like streaming services, including Fubo and Hulu with Live TV.
The situation comes two months after Comcast was forced to drop Scripps-owned channels based on the same fee requests. The channels were restored a few weeks later.
