DirecTV drops ABC channels in Lexington over Scripps dispute. Here’s what to know

More than 500,000 DirecTV customers across central and eastern Kentucky lost access to LEX18 and ABC36 on May 31 after a contract dispute between DirecTV and E.W. Scripps Company. The Lexington market was one of 36 nationwide affected by the blackout.

FULL STORY: ABC channels have been pulled from Lexington TVs amidst DirecTV, Scripps dispute

Here are key takeaways:

• The two companies failed to reach a carriage agreement before their contract expired, cutting off Scripps-owned local news channels for DirecTV users.
• DirecTV said Scripps is “demanding the highest rates DIRECTV has ever received from a station group,” which it argues would raise costs for consumers and businesses.
• Scripps said it has been engaged in “good-faith negotiations” and blamed DirecTV for pulling the channels — only the second time Scripps stations have gone dark since the 1940s.
• The blackout hit just days before Game 1 of the NBA Finals and the Stanley Cup Finals, both aired exclusively on ABC.
• Scripps had a separate 35-day carriage dispute with Comcast that was resolved May 5, the same month the DirecTV standoff began. No resolution date has been announced.

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The full story in the link at top was reported, written and edited entirely by journalists.