54 broadcast stations operated by Scripps Local Media went dark on DirecTV starting at 7 p.m. ET, cutting off millions of subscribers as a retransmission dispute escalated.
Scripps, the third-largest operator of ABC affiliates in the country, and DirecTV are at odds over retransmission rates. Each side accuses the other of making unreasonable demands about what viewers should pay to receive local stations.
Scripps' 54 stations cover 36 Nielsen-designated market areas. Sports fans, news viewers, and daytime TV audiences across major U.S. regions lost access to their regular programming.
The dispute centers on retransmission fees—payments TV providers make to broadcasters for the right to carry their signals. As cord-cutting accelerates and streaming competition intensifies, these conflicts have grown more frequent and more contentious.
DirecTV customers lost access to their local ABC affiliates and Scripps programming. Blackout battles of this kind typically last days, sometimes weeks. DirecTV subscribers flood social media with complaints during outages while Scripps' stations lose advertising revenue with each passing hour.
The longer the outage persists, the more pressure builds on both sides. Whether the dispute resolves quickly or becomes another extended retransmission war remains uncertain.
