Sinclair, one of the two major ABC affiliate owners that was still preempting Jimmy Kimmel Live!, announced on Friday that it is backing down.
In a statement, Sinclair said, “Our objective throughout this process has been to ensure that programming remains accurate and engaging for the widest possible audience. We take seriously our responsibility as local broadcasters to provide programming that serves the interests of our communities, while also honoring our obligations to air national network programming.”
It noted with disappointment, “In our ongoing and constructive discussions with ABC, Sinclair proposed measures to strengthen accountability, viewer feedback, and community dialogue, including a network-wide independent ombudsman. These proposals were suggested as collaborative efforts between the ABC affiliates and the ABC network. While ABC and Disney have not yet adopted these measures, and Sinclair respects their right to make those decisions under our network affiliate agreements, we believe such measures could strengthen trust and accountability.”
Addressing accusations that there were ulterior motives at play, Sinclair insisted, “Our decision to preempt this program was independent of any government interaction or influence. Free speech provides broadcasters with the right to exercise judgment as to the content on their local stations. While we understand that not everyone will agree with our decisions about programming, it is simply inconsistent to champion free speech while demanding that broadcasters air specific content.”
In their original statement, Sinclair said that it “calls upon Mr. Kimmel to issue a direct apology to the Kirk family. Furthermore, we ask Mr. Kimmel to make a meaningful personal donation to the Kirk Family and Turning Point USA.”
On September 15, Kimmel declared, ““We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it.”
That did not happen, so what explains Sinclair’s reversal? It probably came down to a realization that any prolonged fight with ABC and Disney would not have ended well for them. Because Jimmy Kimmel Live! was off the air in around 25 percent of the country, ABC would have eventually been faced with a drop in ad revenue that could have led them to bring incredible pressure on Sinclair by threatening to withhold other programing including Monday Night Football.
With Sinclair’s backing down, the number of markets without Jimmy Kimmel Live! declined to the 28 owned by Nexstar.