DirecTV, Scripps channel dispute ends, 54 stations back on systems

Mike Snider, USA TODAY

Sat, July 11, 2026 astatine 11:52 AM CDT 2 min read

The E.W. Scripps Co. and TV supplier DirecTV reached an statement returning 54 section broadcast stations to subscribers successful astir 40 markets crossed the U.S.

The caller multi-year agreement, announced precocious Friday, July 10, ends a five-week carriage quality betwixt the outer and streaming TV institution and the Cincinnati-headquartered media company, bringing the stations backmost to millions of viewers.

Scripps' stations had been blacked retired since May 31 for DirecTV subscribers successful 36 cities including Baltimore, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Denver, Detroit, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Milwaukee, Nashville, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, and Tampa-St. Petersburg.

Both sides had claimed the higher crushed successful the quality with Scripps describing DirecTV arsenic being "heavy-handed," portion DirecTV charged Scripps with "seeking grounds retransmission consent rates."

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Scripps confirmed the instrumentality of its stations to DirecTV subscribers successful a connection to USA TODAY. "We convey our viewers for their patience and look guardant to continuing to service them connected DirecTV platforms with the indispensable section news, weather, sports and amusement programming we cognize they value," the institution said successful the statement.

In a quality release, DirecTV's main contented serviceman Rob Thun said the attraction of section TV stations among a fewer companies leads to "unbalanced negotiating."

"We're grateful to our customers for their patience. Like them, we are frustrated that broadcasters usage blackouts arsenic a instrumentality to unit america to judge unwarranted complaint hikes that consistently transcend normal, inflationary increases, and by a lot," Thun said. "At a clip erstwhile affordability matters much than ever, families are excessively often asked to wage much portion receiving less."

What Scripps-owned stations returned to DirecTV with extremity of dispute?

Among the 54 Scripps section stations backmost connected DirecTV's satellite, streaming and U-verse services are:

• ABC stations: Among the cities getting section ABC stations backmost are Baltimore, Denver, Detroit, Las Vegas, San Diego, Phoenix, and Buffalo, New York.

• CBS stations: Nashville, Billings, Montana, and Omaha, Nebraska.

• Fox stations: Salt Lake City and Grand Rapids-Kalamazoo, Michigan.

• NBC stations: Colorado Springs-Pueblo, Colorado., Lexington, Kentucky, Milwaukee, and Tulsa, Okla.

• Independent TV stations: Denver, Kansas City, Mo., and West Palm Beach-Fort Pierce, Florida.

In summation to its section TV stations, Scripps besides owns nationalist web Ion (it sold Court TV to Law&Crime workplace and web successful February 2026).