Updated at 1:10pm MT
The National Hockey League club that took its players from Phoenix and created a new team in Salt Lake City has already faced its first interference penalty just days before the puck drops at UBS Arena in New York on Thursday evening.
It’s thanks to a retransmission consent impasse between The E.W. Scripps Co. and the parent of MVPD Xfinity.
In a statement released Monday evening, Scripps Sports President Brian Lawlor slammed Comcast for failing to agree to carry KUPX “Utah 16” in Provo, Utah — the broadcast home of the new Utah Hockey Club, formed from what had been the Arizona Coyotes.
The agreement dates to October 2023, when the Coyotes, under the ownership of Alex Meruelo, were still seeking a new arena in a northern portion of the Phoenix metro along Highway 101 and within the City of Scottsdale.
The deal with the hockey club came with the disintegration of Bally Sports Arizona, a victim of the Chapter 11 reorganization of its parent, Sinclair subsidiary Diamond Sports Group. It’s a multi-year deal.
For those wondering why KUPX does not enjoy “must carry” status in the Salt Lake City market, which is dominated by Comcast (CenturyLink covers some 75% of the market as an alternate provider), a Scripps spokesperson tells RBR+TVBR, “Comcast had KUPX 16.1 on their lineup when it was an ION station. They did not opt to broadcast ‘Utah 16’ when we launched it as an independent station in the fall of 2023 and has not carried it since.”
With Comcast failing to agree to add KUPX, those who wish to follow the Utah Hockey Club’s second regular-season game and all subsequent local-only telecasts will need an over-the-air digital TV antenna affixed to their television, among other alternate ways to get KUPX.
This evening’s Utah Hockey Club game, its first regular-season match-up which sees the team face the Chicago Blackhawks, is being shown nationally on ESPN at 8pm local time from Delta Center. The October 10 match is a Scripps Sports production.
As a temporary workaround as Comcast and Scripps iron out their differences, the company’s KSTU “FOX13” will pre-empt its regular programming to simulcast KUPX on Thursday. But, Lawlor made it clear that Comcast subscribers are threatened with no way to follow the new NHL team in Salt Lake City in its inaugural season.
“Tuesday marks a historic day in Utah, and Scripps Sports is very disappointed that Comcast has chosen not to give its subscribers access to Utah 16,” Lawlor said. “Despite our repeated attempts to work with Comcast to provide this channel to the residents of Utah, Comcast has made it clear that broadcasting Utah Hockey Club is not a priority for them. We encourage Comcast subscribers to call Comcast and let them know they want access to Utah 16 and all non-nationally exclusive local Utah Hockey Club games.”
Coverage is also possible via Utah Hockey Club’s streaming service, UtahHC+; on streaming service Fubo; on DirecTV (Channel 16); and multiple other cable outlets.
