Many DirecTV viewers hoping to watch Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final on Tuesday night between the Vegas Golden Knights and Carolina Hurricanes received a message saying the contract with Scripps has expired.
The message also directed viewers interested in the Stanley Cup Final or NBA Finals to the ESPN, Hulu or Disney+ apps.
“Scripps 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,” DirecTV posted on social media. “After DIRECTV declined those demands and sought a more reasonable agreement, Scripps chose to remove its stations from viewers in several major markets nationwide.”
DirecTV said 54 local stations and 36 markets, including Las Vegas, were affected. Baltimore, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Denver, Detroit, Kansas City, Miami, Milwaukee, Nashville, Phoenix, Salt Lake City and Tampa-St. Petersburg were among the other markets.
Scripps CEO Adam Symson, in an interview with Awful Announcing, blamed DirecTV’s management for the impasse.
“They’re run by private equity,” Symson told the website. “They have MBAs running the numbers. I don’t really think they care about the work we do in the local communities and that local people actually rely on, whether it’s local news or local sports.
“Rather than rationalize their lineups and end the carriage and payment for a bunch of zombie channels owned by bigger multibillion-dollar conglomerates that have leverage over them, they are screwing with the consumer and what the consumer actually wants to watch, which is broadcast television, local journalism, and local sports.”
ESPN had no comment on the Scripps-DirecTV impasse.
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