A carriage dispute between Florida Panthers broadcast partner Scripps and Comcast Xfinity left viewers across South Florida in the dark Tuesday night — but not immediately. During the first period of the Panthers’ 6-3 win against the Ottawa Senators, the team alerted fans that Xfinity planned to remove Scripps-owned channels from its lineup.
At the time, many viewers reported no issues and continued watching the game as usual. That changed quickly.
Xfinity dropped the channels during game action, abruptly cutting off access for customers midgame. The move sparked frustration among fans who suddenly lost the broadcast without warning.
Scripps owns more than 60 television stations across 40 markets. Many of which were removed from Xfinity’s lineup as part of the disagreement. The affected stations include WSFL-TV (Channel 39) in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale market and Channel 9 in West Palm Beach. Both of which carry Panthers games locally.
Additionally, several network-affiliated stations owned by Scripps were impacted nationwide. Those include outlets tied to ABC, CBS and Fox, along with select NBC affiliates, broadening the disruption for viewers across multiple regions.
The organization emphasized that games remain available through over-the-air signals, other cable and satellite providers, and the team’s streaming platform, Panthers Plus. The team also encouraged affected viewers to contact Comcast directly and request the return of Panthers programming.
Carriage disputes between distributors and broadcasters are not uncommon and often resolve over time. However, the timing of this disruption could create additional challenges for fans in the short term.
The Panthers are scheduled to host the Boston Bruins on Thursday, raising questions about whether the issue will be settled before the next home game. For now, South Florida viewers relying on Xfinity face uncertainty as negotiations between the two sides continue.
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