The retransmission battle between Scripps and DirecTV has escalated, with 54 local Scripps stations in 36 Nielsen-designated markets going dark as of 7 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Both sides blamed the other for the blackout, which DirecTV noted comes just before several state and local primary elections in June, as well as the upcoming NBA and NHL finals on ABC, and the U.S. Open golf tournament on NBC.
DirecTV said Scripps “is is demanding the highest rates DIRECTV has ever received from a station group, which would continue to dramatically raise costs for consumers and businesses already struggling with affordability. After DirecTV declined those demands and sought a more reasonable agreement, Scripps chose to remove its stations from viewers in several major markets nationwide.”
Scripps, however, said it “has been engaging in good-faith negotiations with DirecTV to establish an equitable agreement that serves both companies and, most importantly, consumers. 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. By contrast, Scripps stations have gone dark only twice since we began broadcasting in the 1940s.”
