NASHVILLE — Just as the 6pm hour began in Middle Tennessee on Sunday, large groups of viewers to “NewsChannel 5” expecting to see “60 Minutes” were unable to do so. Access to the CBS affiliate, WTVF-TV, had just been obstructed to those who receive local broadcast channels via DirecTV.
WTVF is one of 54 stations across 36 DMAs no longer accessible to DirecTV customers, and it is thanks to the latest retransmission consent negotiation breakdown to involve the direct broadcast satellite (DBS) service and one of the nation’s largest owners of over-the-air stations: The E.W. Scripps Co.
Within minutes of the “blackout,” by law, each side was blaming the other as a bitter war of words commenced.
Four minutes after the 7pm Eastern expiration of the existing retransmission consent deal, DirecTV lobbed its first volley toward Cincinnati-headquartered Scripps, issuing a statement saying Scripps pulled its stations from the service and its U-Verse offering.
A HEFTY DOLLAR DEMAND
Explaining why, in its view, it is the Adam Symson-helmed Scripps that is to blame, DirecTV says the publicly traded company that owns ION Networks and is investing heavily in its Scripps Sports endeavor “is demanding the highest rates DirecTV has ever received from a station group.”
Rather than absorb these costs through an assessment of expenses and corporate salaries, DirecTV insists these increased rates would be passed on to its customers and “dramatically raise costs” for consumers and businesses “already struggling with affordability.”
DirecTV says it declined Scripps’ “demands” and sought “a more reasonable agreement.” Scripps said no. Thus, DirecTV believes, “Scripps chose to remove its stations” from DirecTV.
A DirecTV spokesperson was quick to note that from April 1 through May 5, Scripps and Comcast’s Xfinity MVPD service remained at odds over a fresh retransmission agreement. DirecTV also noted that with some 17 ABC affiliates, including WMAR-TV in Baltimore, WKBW-TV in Buffalo, WXYZ-TV in Detroit and flagship WCPO-TV in Cincinnati, those who seek to watch the 2026 NBA Finals and/or the NHL Stanley Cup Finals are at risk of doing so. In Las Vegas, that’s particularly worrisome as Scripps’ KTNV-TV is an ABC affiliate.
“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,” said Rob Thun, DirecTV’s Chief Content Officer and a familiar face on Capitol Hill. “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.”
For DirecTV, it says it “will continue fighting on behalf of its customers by seeking a reasonable compromise with Scripps.”
Just after 7:30pm Eastern, Scripps issued a brief statement, stating that it was DirecTV that pulled its stations from its local channel lineups across the U.S.
“Scripps has been engaging in good-faith negotiations with DirecTV to establish an equitable agreement that serves both companies and, most importantly, consumers,” the company said. “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.”
Scripps added that its stations “have gone dark only twice since we began broadcasting in the 1940s.” Yet, that one other time was just weeks ago.
Scripps said it “remains committed to reaching a fair resolution that restores our local stations to DirecTV’s paying subscribers. 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.”
The company noted that impacted DirecTV subscribers can receive its stations at no cost via a digital broadcast TV antenna (assuming they reside in areas where a signal is receivable), or via vMVPDs such as YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV and Fubo. “Other streaming and cable services” were noted, too.
Scripps began warning its viewers on Thursday evening (5/28) of a possible retransmission consent impasse, directing those who receive Scripps-owned channels on DirecTV to call 1-855-KEEP-US-4 to advocate on Scripps’ behalf.
