The retransmission battle between Scripps and DirecTV has intensified, with 54 local Scripps stations in 36 Nielsen-designated markets experiencing power outages as of 7 p.m. ET Sunday.
Both sides have blamed the other side for the outages, and DirecTV noted that the outages occurred just before several state and local primaries in June, the NBA and NHL finals on ABC, and the U.S. Open golf tournament on NBC.
DirecTV said Scripps is “demanding the highest rates DIRECTV has ever received from a group of stations, which will continue to significantly increase costs for consumers and businesses already struggling with affordability. After DirecTV rejected these demands and sought a more reasonable agreement, Scripps chose to remove the station from its audience in several major markets across the country.”
But Scripps said it has “negotiated in good faith with DirecTV to establish a fair contract that serves both companies and, most importantly, consumers. Unfortunately, DirecTV has chosen to remove Scripps’ local stations from its lineup, employing the same heavy-handed tactics that have become synonymous with pay-TV operators that undermine their own subscribers as bargaining chips in contract disputes. By contrast, Scripps stations have only gone dark twice.” This has been the case since it began broadcasting in the 1940s. ”
However, DirecTV pointed out that Scripps just removed 40 stations from Comcast Xfinity in 19 markets over a period of more than a month starting April 1st.
“We understand that our customers are frustrated by the temporary loss of normal access to Scripps stations and the local news, network programming and live sports they provide,” said Rob Thune, DirecTV’s chief content officer. “Unfortunately, Scripps is demanding the highest prices we’ve ever seen for programming that is available for free over the air and across many stations, networks and third-party streaming apps. We remain committed to protecting our customers from indiscriminate and unnecessary cost increases on less popular programming while continuing to restore the stations that so many of our viewers rely on.”
But in a statement, Scripps said: “Scripps remains committed to a fair resolution that returns local stations to DirecTV paying subscribers. At issue is viewers’ fundamental access to trusted local journalism, essential weather alerts and emergency information, and live sports programming that strengthens community bonds. All of this is important public interest content in which Scripps invests heavily every day.”
Markets affected by repeated outages include Baltimore, Boise, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Denver, Detroit, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Lexington, Miami, Milwaukee, Nashville, Omaha, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, and Tampa St. Paul. St. Petersburg, West Palm Beach, and more.
Meanwhile, DirecTV suggested sports fans could access programming via the ESPN app, and Scripps suggested free over-the-air with an antenna, or Tablo TV, YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, Fubo, or “other streaming and cable services.”
