If you are losing your local ABC station right now, you are likely experiencing a brand-new blackout that started on May 31, 2026.

This time, the dispute isn’t with Disney (which was resolved back in 2024)—it is between DirecTV and E.W. Scripps Company, one of the largest local broadcast television station owners in the country.

Lexington Herald Leader

The Current 2026 Scripps Blackout

• How many stations were dropped? Scripps pulled 54 local stations across 36 different markets from DirecTV satellite, streaming, and U-verse packages. PR Newswire
• Are they all ABC? No, but 17 of those 54 stations are ABC affiliates (the rest include various NBC, CBS, and Fox local channels owned by Scripps). PR Newswire
• Why did it happen? It is another classic retransmission consent dispute (a battle over contract fees). DirecTV claims Scripps is demanding the highest rates they have ever seen from a station group, which would force subscriber bills up. Scripps claims they are just trying to get a fair, market-value deal for their local journalism and programming. Cybernews+ 2
• The Timing: Scripps chose to pull the plug right at a high-leverage moment—just as the NBA Finals and NHL Stanley Cup Finals were kicking off on ABC. They use that fan demand to pressure DirecTV into signing. TVTechnology

Check Your Specific City

If you lost your ABC station, you are likely living in one of the major Scripps markets. Some of the cities where local networks went dark include:

• ABC Affiliates: Las Vegas (KTNV), Detroit (WXYZ), Cleveland (WEWS), Phoenix (KNXV), San Diego (KGTV), Denver (KMGH), Indianapolis (WRTV), and Buffalo (WKBW), among others. PR Newswire
• Other Networks: Cities like Miami, Tampa, Baltimore, Kansas City, Nashville, and Cincinnati lost various other local affiliate feeds (CBS, NBC, or Fox) depending on which station Scripps owns in that specific town.

How to watch in the meantime: Because these are local, over-the-air channels, they are still broadcasting for free. You can pick them up by plugging a standard digital TV antenna into your television, or you can access network programming through standalone network apps or alternative streaming providers (like YouTube TV or Fubo) while DirecTV and Scripps fight it out.

TheDesk.net+ 1