Sinclair-Operated ABC and NBC Stations Preempt Networks to Carry President Trump’s Primetime Address

A group of broadcast stations owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group preempted their affiliated ABC and NBC networks on Thursday to carry President Donald Trump’s primetime address, according to Deadline.

The stations ultimately aired the speech that began at 9 p.m. ET and 6 p.m. PT and ran for a length not specified in the report. Deadline said the move followed earlier statements from ABC News and NBC News that they would carry the address only through their respective streaming platforms rather than via the standard network broadcast feed.

Deadline reported that the decision by Sinclair-owned stations changed what viewers saw on over-the-air channels in multiple markets, shifting from the networks’ earlier plan to stream-only distribution for the address. The report framed the difference as a late-day scheduling outcome, with Sinclair stations choosing to break away from the networks to present the remarks directly to local audiences.

The address was carried from the White House, with Deadline using an image depicting the President speaking from the East Room. The network-versus-streaming discrepancy highlighted how, during major political remarks, local affiliates can differ in what they choose to air and when they choose to do so.

For viewers, the practical effect depended on where they lived and which Sinclair-owned station served their market. In those areas, the speech was delivered through the local broadcast channel rather than limited to streaming access, which can require an internet connection and an appropriate app or service.

The episode also underscored the operational complexity of broadcast programming, where agreements and schedules can collide with rapidly changing decisions by network news divisions. Deadline’s account indicates that the timing gap between the networks’ announced streaming approach and the eventual over-the-air carriage by Sinclair affiliates was central to why some audiences received the speech through traditional television rather than only through streaming.