Xfinity Scripps Deal Restores WXYZ and WMYD After Month-Long Blackout

✓ Tested on Firestick 4K Max 🔄 Updated May 2026 ✅ Verified Working

Carriage blackouts are one of cable’s dirtiest tricks — two companies argue over money, and the people caught in the middle are paying subscribers who just want to watch the local news. Detroit-area Xfinity customers lived that for roughly a month after Scripps and Comcast hit an impasse that pulled WXYZ-TV (ABC) and WMYD off the grid entirely. No warning, no timeline, just a channel that was there one day and gone the next.

The standoff ended on May 5, 2026, when Scripps and Comcast reached a new carriage agreement. WXYZ and WMYD are back on Xfinity. All Scripps-owned local broadcast stations and national networks have been restored across the board.

Quick Answer

Scripps and Comcast reached a carriage deal on May 5, 2026, restoring WXYZ-TV and WMYD to Xfinity after a month-long blackout. If you’re an Xfinity subscriber, both channels should be live again at their original channel numbers. If you’ve had enough of carriage disputes and want out of cable, Hulu Live TV and YouTube TV both carry local ABC affiliates in most markets.

What Actually Happened

Carriage disputes follow a familiar script. A broadcast network or local station group — in this case Scripps — wants more money per subscriber from the cable provider. Comcast pushes back. Both sides dig in. Subscribers lose their channels while the negotiations drag on. Eventually, someone blinks.

That’s exactly what played out in Detroit. For about a month, Xfinity customers in the market couldn’t access WXYZ-TV, Detroit’s ABC affiliate, or WMYD, its MyNetworkTV station — both owned by Scripps. No local ABC primetime. No local news on WXYZ. No WMYD programming.

The deal confirmed on May 5 ends the dispute. Per statements from WXYZ and reporting from Deadline Detroit, the agreement restores all Scripps-owned local broadcast stations and national networks to Xfinity TV.

If You’re an Xfinity Subscriber

You shouldn’t need to do anything. Both channels should already be live at their original channel numbers. If you’re still seeing the blackout message or a dead channel:

Restart Your Xfinity Box

Hold the power button on your cable box for 10 seconds or unplug it from the wall. Wait 30 seconds, then power it back on. Let it fully reboot before testing the channel.

Check the Xfinity App on Your Firestick

Open the Xfinity Stream app on your Firestick and navigate to WXYZ (channel number varies by market). The app updates faster than some set-top boxes. If it works in the app but not on the cable box, the box needs a firmware refresh.

Force a Channel Refresh

On your Xfinity remote, go to the channel guide and scroll past WXYZ in either direction, then scroll back. This forces the guide data to reload. Alternatively, try tuning directly by entering the channel number.

Contact Xfinity Support

If neither of the above works after 24 hours, contact Xfinity support directly. The carriage agreement is in place — if your channel isn’t restored, it’s a technical issue on their end, not a negotiation problem.

Why This Keeps Happening (And What to Do About It)

This wasn’t a one-off. Carriage disputes between Scripps and Comcast have happened before. They’ll happen again — with Scripps, with other station groups, with other cable providers. It’s a structural feature of how cable licensing works, not a bug someone’s going to fix.

If a month without your local ABC affiliate was the final straw, you have options. Streaming services that carry live local channels have gotten genuinely good. Here’s what works for WXYZ specifically.

Streaming Services That Carry Local ABC

Hulu Live TV — Carries local ABC affiliates in most major markets, including Detroit. At roughly $82.99/month, it’s not cheap, but you get live and on-demand, and local channels are included without an antenna.

Hulu

YouTube TV — Same story. Local ABC included in most markets. Around $72.99/month, and the DVR is unlimited (cloud-based). YouTube TV’s Firestick app is solid — no sideloading required, works with the D-pad without wanting to throw your remote.

YouTube TV

Fubo — Carries local affiliates and is especially strong if you’re watching sports alongside the local news. Pricing starts around $79.99/month.

Fubo

Sling TV — Doesn’t guarantee local ABC in all markets, so verify your ZIP code before subscribing. When it’s available, it’s one of the cheaper live TV options.

Sling TV

Best for Replacing Cable Locals

Hulu Live TV

8.6 /10

Best For: Cable cutters who want local channels + on-demand Price: ~$82.99/mo

Why We Picked It:

Local ABC affiliates included in most markets
Unlimited cloud DVR — record anything, keep it forever
Firestick app is native, no sideloading
ESPN, sports, and news all in one package

Check Hulu Live TV →

✓ Pros

Carries local ABC (WXYZ) and most major network affiliates
Unlimited DVR means you never miss a blackout's worth of content
Official Firestick app — no hoops to jump through
Bundles Disney+ and ESPN+ for added value

✕ Cons

Roughly $82.99/month is not cheap — pricier than basic cable for some subscribers
Local affiliate availability varies by ZIP code — verify before signing up
On-demand library sometimes lags behind the live airing by a few hours

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The Bigger Picture for Cord Cutters

Carriage blackouts are one of the most consistent arguments for ditching cable. When you’re paying $80–120/month and your channels can disappear for weeks while two corporations negotiate, that value proposition falls apart fast. Detroit viewers just sat through a month of it.

The irony is that WXYZ broadcasts over the air for free. It always has. The only people who lost access were paying Xfinity subscribers — anyone with an antenna (or a streaming service that carries locals) watched ABC without interruption.

That gap — between what cable promises and what it reliably delivers — is exactly why the best Firestick apps for live TV have gotten so much better. The market for cable replacements that actually work is large and growing.

If you want to go deeper on cutting the cord completely, our guide to watching live TV on Firestick for free covers every legal method that works in 2026. For IPTV as a cable replacement with live locals and sports, Unify IPTV is the service I keep coming back to — it’s stable, has a real channel lineup, and the Firestick experience is cleaner than most alternatives.

Check Out Unify IPTV

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Last updated: May 2026

Xfinity Scripps Deal Restores WXYZ and WMYD After Month-Long Blackout

What Actually Happened

If You’re an Xfinity Subscriber