


Sinclair, one of two large local TV owners that dropped “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” after the late-night comedian’s remarks on the Trump administration’s reaction to Charlie Kirk’s assassination, said on Friday that it would resume showing the program after negotiations with its parent company, Disney.
“Our objective throughout this process has been to ensure that programming remains accurate and engaging for the widest possible audience,” Sinclair said in a statement. “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.”
The company, which owns scores of TV stations across the United States, had been pre-empting “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” since the show’s return on Tuesday, blacking out the program for millions of Americans.
Nexstar, another local TV giant, has also dropped Mr. Kimmel’s show, setting off a days-long standoff with Disney.
Disney had no immediate comment.
Sinclair and Nexstar, two of the largest owners of local TV stations, have been engaged in a corporate tug-of-war with Disney that has became a symbol for free speech in the United States. Their boycott set off a national firestorm and laid bare the inner workings of broadcast television, which relies on a sprawling network of local stations to deliver National Football League games, top-of-the-hour weather updates and late-night comedy to millions of Americans.
The groups that control these local stations often have little direct interaction with viewers, who mostly know local stations by their alphabet soup call-signs and local newscasts.