DirecTV subscribers in Utah hoping to watch the United States take on Paraguay in the World Cup on Friday night on Fox will have to find another way to view the much-anticipated matchup at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
That’s because DirecTV and the broadcasting company, Scripps, that owns the local Fox affiliate in Salt Lake City, KSTU Fox 13, are engaged in a contract dispute and the channel has not been available to Utah viewers for nearly a week.
When viewers turn to Ch. 13 on DirecTV throughout Utah, they are greeted with this message from DirecTV:
“Our contract with this station’s owner has recently expired. We are working to return your programming as soon as possible and apologize for any temporary inconvenience.”
Leona Wood, who is the station manager and senior director of news for KSTU, responded to an inquiry about the disruption in service by acknowledging that the World Cup is “an exciting moment” for many viewers throughout the community and she understands why “access to coverage” matters so much to viewers.
She provided the following statement from the station:
“Scripps has been engaging in good-faith negotiations with DirecTV to establish an equitable agreement that serves both companies and, most importantly, consumers. Regrettably, DirecTV has elected to remove Scripps local stations from their lineup, employing the same heavy-handed tactics that have become synonymous with pay-TV operators who hurt their own subscribers by using them as bargaining chips in contractual disputes.
“Scripps remains committed to reaching a fair resolution that restores our local stations to DirecTV’s paying subscribers,” the statement continued. “At stake is our viewers’ fundamental access to trusted local journalism, critical weather alerts, emergency information and live sports programming that strengthens community bonds — all essential public interest content in which Scripps invests substantially every day.”
Jon Green, who is head of communications and community at DirecTV, replied to a Deseret News request for an interview with the following statement:
“We understand how frustrating it is for customers who want to watch major live events such as the World Cup and are impacted by Scripps’ decision to remove Fox affiliate stations from the DirecTV lineup in select areas. While we continue to work toward a resolution, customers can still access World Cup coverage through the Fox Sports app by signing in with their DirecTV credentials.”
Fox 13’s Wood also offered a way viewers throughout the country can watch Scripps programming via the following ways:
- Over-the-air antenna
- Tablo TV
- YouTube TV
- Hulu + Live TV
- Fubo
- Other streaming and cable services
The all-sports station Fox Sports 1 (Ch. 219 on DirecTV) is owned by Fox and not a Scripps’ entity and therefore is still available to DirecTV subscribers. While Friday night’s USA-Paraguay match will air live on Fox at 7 p.m. MDT, it will be replayed at 10 p.m. MDT on Fox Sports 1.
