Florida Panthers fans with Comcast got a rude awakening when they sat down to watch Tuesday night’s game against the Ottawa Senators.
Due to a carriage dispute between the cable giant and the E. W. Scripps cable network, Xfinity dropped coverage of dozens of stations owned by Scripps TV, including the ones that broadcast Panthers games in South Florida.
The Panthers moved their game broadcasts from Bally Sports Florida to Scripps Sports ahead of the 2024-25 season. In Miami-Dade and Broward, those games are on WSFL-Channel 39. The Panthers’ other TV affiliates will be WHDT-9 in Palm Beach/Treasure Coast and WFTX-Channel 36.3 in Fort Myers/Naples.
“Due to a carriage dispute, Comcast has dropped coverage of Scripps TV stations, including the Panthers broadcast channels,” wrote the Panthers X account soon after the start of the game. “As a result, tonight’s Panthers game will not be broadcast on Comcast in Miami-Dade, Broward, and West Palm Beach. In those counties, Panthers games can be found over the air, on other cable and satellite providers, and on the Panthers Plus app.”
This just popped up at 7:20, 11 minutes into the Florida Panthers vs Ottawa Senators game. Xfinity and Scripps can both go tell it to the mountain. What a big pile of dung. pic.twitter.com/oYZG5UxyXn
— Baseball Cards (@baseball_cards) March 31, 2026
Scripps Sports President Brian Lawlor even joined in the push to get Panthers fans to voice their complaints to Comcast.
“E. W. Scripps cable network programming is currently unavailable as our agreement with E. W. Scripps has expired,” read a statement on an Xfinity customer service site. “Please know we pay programmers to bring you the entertainment you love, and a number of reasonable offers have been made and they haven’t been accepted. Comcast is working toward bringing back this programming, but only with fair pricing, terms, and conditions for customers.”
The blackout extends well beyond South Florida, with subscribers across the country losing access to local ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC affiliates in cities and regions including Denver, Baltimore, and Tucson.
Depending on how long the dispute lasts, this could mean fans of other sports teams find themselves in similar situations.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.