Scripps dispute blocks Golden Knights' Stanley Cup game on DIRECTV

The Vegas Golden Knights airs for a photograph with the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl aft they decision the Colorado Avalanche, 2-1, successful Game 4 of an NHL hockey Western Conference Final at T-Mobile Arena Tuesday, May 26, 2026. Photo by: Wade Vandervort

Millions of DIRECTV customers crossed the country, including viewers successful Las Vegas, mislaid entree to dozens of section broadcast stations Monday aft a retransmission consent quality betwixt E.W. Scripps Local Media and the outer provider.

Scripps blacked retired 54 stations successful 36 Nielsen designated marketplace areas connected DIRECTV’s satellite, streaming and U-verse services arsenic of May 31, aft what DIRECTV described arsenic grounds interest demands from the broadcaster. The blackout affects ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, MNT and TMO affiliates.

For Las Vegas viewers, the timing couldn’t beryllium worse. Game 1 of the NHL Stanley Cup Final betwixt the Vegas Golden Knights and the Carolina Hurricanes begins contiguous connected ABC — which is blacked retired for section DIRECTV customers connected Channel 13, the section ABC affiliate.

The American Television Alliance, a conjugation of pay-TV providers, condemned the blackout successful a connection Monday.

“Scripps is the latest large broadcaster to achromatic retired section TV stations successful an effort to extract higher fees, blocking signals and programming from dozens of communities portion demanding steep retransmission consent increases that unit viewers to wage much for the aforesaid ‘free’ programming,” said Hunter Wilson, the spokesperson for the American Television Alliance.

The blackout besides comes arsenic the NBA Finals get underway and up of the FIFA World Cup connected U.S. soil, the U.S. Open play tourney and respective authorities and section elections successful June.

It isn’t the archetypal disruption Scripps has caused for pay-TV customers this year. 

In April, the institution pulled 40 stations from Comcast Xfinity successful 19 markets, leaving those customers without work for much than a month.

In summation to Las Vegas, the existent DIRECTV blackout affects customers successful Baltimore; Boise, Idaho; Buffalo, N.Y.; Cincinnati; Cleveland; Denver; Detroit; Lexington, K.Y.; Miami; Milwaukee; Nashville, Tenn.; Omaha, Neb.; Phoenix; Salt Lake City; Tampa-St. Petersburg; and West Palm Beach, Fla., among different markets.

The American Television Alliance said it is urging Congress to update retransmission consent regulations, which the radical says let broadcasters to repeatedly usage blackouts arsenic leverage to thrust up fees paid by pay-TV providers.