Dish Network subscribers in several Kentucky communities are having to look elsewhere to watch programming from ABC after the satellite company abruptly pulled the channel off its platforms on Wednesday.
The dispute involves the distribution of WTVQ (Channel 36), the ABC affiliate serving Lexington that was acquired by the E. W. Scripps Company from Morris Network earlier this year.
In a statement e-mailed to The Desk, a spokesperson for Scripps said the removal of WTVQ was a “clear violation” of a distribution agreement that the broadcaster has with Dish Network. It wasn’t clear how Dish Network justified the removal of the channel; the satellite operator has not released a public comment about the matter as of Wednesday evening.
The removal means Dish Network subscribers who rely on WTVQ for ABC programming won’t be able to watch live college football games, the upcoming WNBA playoffs and the upcoming start of NBA and NHL seasons through the satellite service until the dispute is resolved.
It also keeps Dish Network customers from watching shows like “Abbott Elementary,” “The Rookie,” “Scrubs,” “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Dancing with the Stars” on Dish Network until the channel is restored.
For now, affected Dish Network customers have a number of options to continue watching WTVQ, their local ABC affiliate in Lexington. The channel remains available to view with a conventional TV antenna, which allows viewers to watch ABC and other broadcast network stations and affiliates in their local areas.
WTVQ is also available to stream on cable replacement services like DIRECTV, YouTube TV, Fubo and Hulu with Live TV.
Local news broadcasts are available to view on WLEX (Channel 18, NBC), a Scripps-owned station that is still offered by Dish Network.
The issue is the latest involving Scripps and a pay television provider over one or more of its newly-acquired broadcast TV stations.
In August, Charter Communications filed a federal lawsuit against Scripps after the companies were unable to remedy a contract over carriage of its Las Vegas-area TV stations on Cox Cable, which Charter acquired earlier in the month.
