On June 25, 2018, Raycom Media announced that it agreed to be sold to Gray Television. Because the FCC prohibits a direct duopoly between two of the top four stations in the same TV market, Gray opted to retain ownership of WCTV and sell WTXL to a third party. On August 20, it was announced that the E. W. Scripps Company would buy WTXL and sister station KXXV in Waco, Texas (along with semi-satellite KRHD-CD in Bryan) for $55 million. The sale was approved the FCC on December 20, and was completed on January 2, 2019. This made WTXL a sister station to fellow ABC affiliate WFTS-TV in Tampa, NBC affiliate WPTV-TV in West Palm Beach, and Fox affiliate WFTX-TV in Fort Myers.