00:00Jimmy Kimmel may be returning to his late-night show on Tuesday,
00:03but the program will not air on 66 ABC stations across the U.S.,
00:08as Sinclair Broadcast Group and Nextstar both say they will preempt the show.
00:13Sinclair said in a statement on Monday,
00:16Beginning Tuesday night, Sinclair will be preempting Jimmy Kimmel Live across our ABC
00:20affiliate stations and replacing it with news programming. Discussions with ABC are ongoing
00:25as we evaluate the show's potential return. And Nextstar said in its own statement on
00:29Tuesday, We made a decision last week to preempt Jimmy Kimmel Live following what ABC referred
00:34to as Mr. Kimmel's ill-timed and insensitive comments at a critical time in our national
00:39discourse. We stand by that decision pending assurance that all parties are committed to
00:44fostering an environment of respectful, constructive dialogue in the markets we serve.
00:49The statement continued, In the meantime, we note that Jimmy Kimmel Live will be available
00:52nationwide on multiple Disney-owned streaming products, while our stations will focus on
00:57continuing to produce local news and other programming relevant to their respective markets.
01:02The Walt Disney Company said Monday that Kimmel would return to the air after his nearly week-long
01:06suspension. Nextstar, it should be noted, has a $6 billion-plus deal pending before the FCC to
01:12acquire Tegna, an agreement that would make it by far the largest owner of local TV stations in the
01:17country. Sinclair has also expressed a desire to pursue mergers and acquisitions, which would also
01:22require FCC approval. For more on this story, go to THR.com. This is The Hollywood Reporter News.
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