As the puck drops on NHL’s opening day, the league’s newest franchise may prove challenging to watch for some local fans.
That’s because Comcast and Scripps Sports have failed to reach a carriage agreement that would see the distributor carry local affiliate KUPX (Utah 16), where the Utah Hockey Club is set to broadcast its games this season.
The club opens its campaign at home tonight against the Chicago Blackhawks, a game that will be televised nationally on ESPN. However, Utah’s next game on Thursday against the New York Islanders is slated to air locally.
“Scripps Sports is very disappointed that Comcast has chosen not to give its subscribers access to Utah 16,” Scripps Sports president Brian Lawlor weighed in, “Despite our repeated attempts to work with Comcast to provide this channel to the residents of Utah, Comcast has made it clear that broadcasting Utah Hockey Club is not a priority for them.”
As a result of the dispute, Scripps has opted to simulcast Thursday’s game against the Islanders on the Scripps-owned Fox affiliate FOX13 in Salt Lake City.
The relationship between the Utah Hockey Club and Scripps Sports goes back to the team’s previous home in Arizona as the Coyotes, where the team struck a deal with Scripps after departing Bally Sports Arizona amid Diamond Sports Group’s bankruptcy.
Comcast has proven selective in its deals with broadcasters of local sports recently, having held out much of the summer during a dispute with Diamond that left its Bally Sports RSNs dark for millions of customers.
Viewers who wish to watch Utah Hockey Club games during the dispute can still access Utah 16 for free via an over-the-air antenna, or subscribe to the team’s direct-to-consumer service UtahHC+.
[Sportico]
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.