The Utah Hockey Club's NHL debut week was disrupted by a promotion dispute

The Utah Hockey Club will make its NHL regular-season debut Tuesday on a nationally televised broadcast on ESPN, but could be banned from local viewers afterward due to a promotion dispute.

Comcast and Scripps Sports failed to reach an agreement that would see the cable operator carry independent local affiliate KUPX (Utah 16). Utah's first all-local broadcast is scheduled for Thursday when the team travels east to play the New York Islanders.

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“Tuesday is a historic day in Utah and Scripps Sports is very disappointed that Comcast has decided not to provide its subscribers with access to Utah 16, the Utah Hockey Club's broadcast site,” Scripps Sports President Brian Lawlor said in a statement an explanation. “Despite our repeated attempts to work with Comcast to make this channel available to Utahns, Comcast has made it clear that broadcasting Utah Hockey Club is not a priority for them.”

Although the affiliate is a broadcast channel, it must enter into retransmission agreements with cable and satellite operators in order to be available on their systems.

Comcast did not respond to a request for comment.

Currently, Comcast users in the Scripps Sports team's regional footprint are encouraged to call the operator to increase pressure to secure a deal. You can also watch Utah 16 via digital antennas, live streaming TV providers such as Fubo or the team's streaming platform on the UtahHC+ streaming platform.

Comcast has often danced this waltz with sports networks, including in a protracted dispute over the summer with Diamond Sports Group's Bally Sports channels.

Utah's hockey dream became a reality last spring when the Arizona Coyotes found themselves in limbo after a last-ditch attempt to secure land for a new arena in north Phoenix. Ryan and Ashley Smith, who own the Utah Jazz and the Delta Center, purchased the Coyotes' operations from the NHL for $1.3 billion. (This was made possible by the league purchasing these assets from Alex Meruelo for $1 billion, while also granting him the right to revive the Coyotes franchise within five years.)

The Coyotes spent their final season with Scripps affiliates in Arizona after the team and Diamond Sports Group mutually agreed to terminate the broadcast agreement, putting the final nail in the coffin for Bally Sports Arizona. In early 2023, the Phoenix Suns and Mercury left the regional sports network for over-the-air options, while MLB picked up the Arizona Diamondbacks' local broadcast rights.

According to Nielsen, Salt Lake City is the 27th largest media market in the U.S. with 1.174 million television households. The NHL's newest market is actually larger than Pittsburgh, Columbus, Las Vegas and Buffalo. Prior to the arrival of the Utah Hockey Club, KUPX broadcast the Coyotes and Vegas Golden Knights to fans in the state.

The Utah Hockey Club's first regular season game will be broadcast on ESPN as they host the Chicago Blackhawks at the Delta Center.

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