Miami TV: After Almost 70-Years, ABC To Get New Affiliate

The new ABC television network affiliate in Miami is set to launch on August 4, 2025, as part of a multi-year affiliation agreement between Disney Entertainment and Sunbeam Television Corporation.

The new affiliate, branded as "ABC Miami," will broadcast on channel 7.2 over-the-air, utilizing a subchannel of WSVN-TV, which is currently the Fox affiliate in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale market owned by Sunbeam Television.

This change comes after the long-standing ABC affiliate, WPLG Local 10, owned by Berkshire Hathaway, announced it could not reach an agreement with Disney to extend its network deal due to high retransmission fees demanded by Disney. 

WPLG, which has been an ABC affiliate for decades, will transition to operating as an independent station once the switch occurs. To ensure a smooth transition, Disney will continue providing WPLG with ABC programming until the August 4 cutoff date.

WSVN-TV will maintain its Fox programming on its primary channel (7.1) while adding ABC programming to its subchannel (7.2). This move marks a significant shift in the South Florida media landscape, ending WPLG’s 69-year collective affiliation with ABC and aligning ABC with Sunbeam Television, a family-owned broadcaster with a strong presence in the region for nearly 70 years. Sunbeam also owns WHDH-TV and WLVI-TV in Boston, in addition to WSVN in Miami.

The new ABC Miami affiliate will carry ABC’s full lineup, including popular shows like Grey’s Anatomy, top-rated news programs such as World News Tonight with David Muir and Good Morning America, and major live events like The Oscars and ESPN sports broadcasts, including Monday Night Football and the NBA Finals. This partnership reflects Disney’s strategy to maintain its market presence in South Florida while Sunbeam aims to strengthen its portfolio with ABC’s esteemed programming.

📺How Retransmission Fees Work

Local TV stations, such as ABC, NBC, CBS, or Fox affiliates, produce or air content that pay-TV providers want to include in their channel lineups to attract subscribers. Under U.S. law, specifically the 1992 Cable Television Consumer Protection and Competition Act, broadcasters have two options:

Must-Carry: They can require cable and satellite providers to carry their signal for free, ensuring broad distribution without compensation.

Retransmission Consent: They can negotiate with these providers to grant permission to retransmit their signal in exchange for payment—the retransmission fee.