Disney Entertainment channels ESPN and ABC went off the air on DirecTV Sunday night after the two could not reach an agreement.
The channels went dark around 7:20 p.m. ET, shortly before the high-profile LSU-USC college football game and in the fourth round of the U.S. Open tennis tournament. The dispute also comes just before the NFL season kicks off this Thursday.
The channels went dark a half-hour before the start of the match between Frances Tiafoe, an American who reached the 2022 U.S. Open semifinals, and Alexei Popyrin, an Australian who eliminated defending champion Novak Djokovic on Friday.
- SIGN UP FOR FUBOTV OR SLINGTV TO STREAM DISNEY ENTERTAINMENT CHANNELS
Disney also went dark a year ago after having a dispute with Charter Spectrum that lasted nearly 12 days. This time, the company and the satellite TV giant, DirecTV, find themselves at odds after Disney offered an extension to keep the channels on the air in exchange for DirecTV having to waive all future legal claims that its behavior is anti-competitive.
Here is a statement from DirecTV’s Chief Content Officer, Rob Thun in an article from The Associated Press:
“The Walt Disney Co. is once again refusing any accountability to consumers, distribution partners, and now the American judicial system,” said Thun. “Disney is in the business of creating alternate realities, but this is the real world where we believe you earn your way and must answer for your own actions. They want to continue to chase maximum profits and dominant control at the expense of consumers — making it harder for them to select the shows and sports they want at a reasonable price.”
Disney Entertainment’s co-chairmen Dana Walden and Alan Bergam and ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro issued the following joint statement to the AP, urging DirecTV to finalize a deal:
“While we’re open to offering DirecTV flexibility and terms which we’ve extended to other distributors, we will not enter into an agreement that undervalues our portfolio of television channels and programs. We invest significantly to deliver the No. 1 brands in entertainment, news and sports because that’s what our viewers expect and deserve.”
DirecTV has 11.3 million subscribers, according to Leichtman Research Group, making it the nation’s third-largest pay-TV provider.
Aside from all ESPN network channels and ABC-owned stations, Disney-branded channels including Freeform, FX and National Geographic also went dark on DirecTV.
Customers who don’t want to wait for this issue to be resolved and want to access these channels can sign up for a FuboTV or a Sling TV subscription. Fubo offers a free trial and Sling has promotional offers available.
The channels that went dark on DirecTV include ESPN, ABC, ABC News, ABC-owned television stations, Disney, FX, Freeform and National Geographic. Those channels are available with a FuboTV or Sling TV subscription.
What is FuboTV?
FuboTV is an over-the-top internet live TV streaming service that offers more than 100 channels, like sports, news, entertainment and local channels. It offers DVR storage space, and is designed for people who want to cut the cord, but don’t want to miss out on their favorite live TV and sports. Fubo subscriptions start at $79.99 a month and offer a free trial for new users.
What is Sling TV?
Sling TV is the first app-based TV service letting you stream live television and on-demand content over the internet. With Sling TV, you get to choose the television option that’s right for you, including Channel Add-ons, Premiums Add-ons, DVR Plus and more. Sling subscriptions start at $40 per month but offer $25 off for the first month.
The US Open Tennis tournament will be streamed until its last day on Sunday, September 8 on ESPN Networks and NFL football returns on Thursday, September 5 with Ravens vs. Chiefs on NBC. Other sports like MLB, WNBA and College Football games will also be streamed on these Disney-owned channels in the upcoming weeks.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
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