Hulu + Live TV customers have lost access to some ABC affiliate channels that the Sinclair Broadcasting Group owns, following what’s likely going to be a carriage debut.

Subscribers in the affected areas have received an email informing them of the situation, and Hulu’s help support took to social media to confirm the news:

Sorry for any upset, Kim! 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.

Hulu also issued a statement to Cord Cutter News about the situation:

“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.”

So while it’s not ideal that Hulu + Live TV customers in the affected areas can’t watch shows on ABC live, at least the major shows are available to stream the following day.

While Disney might own ABC, Sinclair owns the affiliate channels, and the contract between the two companies has expired, with both sides being unable to come to a financial agreement. Disney hasn’t yet made the national ABC feed available to Hulu + Live subscribers. It’s not uncommon for carriage disputes to lead to channels becoming unavailable. However, with the traditional linear business shrinking, it is becoming more difficult.

This isn’t the only problem currently facing Sinclair, as they are also having issues with their regional sports networks (RSN), as they have missed recent payments to creditors and sports teams, which could lead to declaring bankruptcy. Sinclair purchased the RSN channels from Disney following the acquisition of 20th Century Fox, as it was deemed uncompetitive by the government due to Disney also owning ESPN.

What do you think of Hulu + Live TV losing access to ABC?  Let us know on social media!

Roger Palmer

Roger has been a Disney fan since he was a kid and this interest has grown over the years. He has visited Disney Parks around the globe and has a vast collection of Disney movies and collectibles. He is the owner of What's On Disney Plus & DisKingdom. Email: Roger@WhatsOnDisneyPlus.com Twitter: Twitter.com/RogPalmerUK Facebook: Facebook.com/rogpalmeruk

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