Today Hulu removed Sinclair-owned ABC stations after talks for a contract renewal failed.
Hulu and Sinclair have not released a statement yet, but Cord Cutters News has confirmed the channels have been removed.
Update Sinclair sent Cord Cutters News this statement about the Hulu blackouts:
Last night, Disney-owned Hulu decided to remove all of Sinclair’s stations that are affiliated with the Disney-owned ABC network from their Hulu platform, resulting in hundreds of thousands of households in dozens of markets across America losing access to local news, The Bachelor, American Idol, The Oscars and the upcoming NHL and NBA playoffs airing on their local ABC affiliate.
We were shocked and dismayed that Hulu removed our stations while in the middle of an active negotiation with no notice to its customers, despite Sinclair’s numerous good faith attempts to negotiate a carriage deal, and multiple unconditional extension offers to keep the stations on Hulu.
Sinclair calls on ABC, Hulu and its owners at Disney to return to the negotiating table to end this unnecessary blackout and to recommit to protecting local TV and local news, which is a bedrock service for communities across America.
As a reminder to our loyal viewers, these stations remain available on local cable companies, satellite distributors, other streaming platforms and over the air.
Update #2 Hulu has sent Cord Cutters News this statement on the blackout:
“After months of negotiations with Sinclair, we were unable to reach a fair, market-based agreement for the carriage of their local ABC affiliates on Hulu + Live TV. While Sinclair chose to withhold their affiliates from the Hulu + Live TV channel line-up, impacted subscribers can continue to watch their favorite next day ABC programming such as American Idol, The Bachelor, Abbott Elementary, and Grey’s Anatomy.”
Customers who are affected by this fight should already have an email from Hulu. If not, they will be receiving one shortly to inform them of the blackout.
Here is a statement Hulu is sharing on Twitter right now about the blackout:
Sinclair owns a number of local ABC affiliates across the country and as of March 8, Hulu no longer has the rights to distribute those channels. If you have other questions, please let us know.
This list of dropped ABC stations includes:
- Mobile, AL
- Birmingham, AL
- Little Rock, AR
- Chico-Redding, CA
- Washington, DC
- Springfield, IL
- Traverse City, MI
- Kirksville, MO
- St. Louis, MO
- Asheville, NC
- Greenville, NC
- Winston Salem, NC
- Hayes Center, NE
- Rochester, NY
- Columbus, OH
- Dayton, OH
- Tulsa, OK
- Portland, OR
- Johnstown, PA
- Charleston, SC
- Myrtle Beach, SC
- Abilene, TX
- San Angelo, TX
- Lynchburg, VA
- Seattle, WA
- Charleston, WV
- Chattanooga, TN
*Did we miss something on this list? Message us and let us know.
Did your local ABC affiliate go dark on Hulu today? Leave us a comment and let us know.
This is breaking news more coming soon.