DirecTV and Walt Disney Co. have finally reached an agreement after nearly two weeks of a dispute that resulted in a blackout of ESPN and ABC-owned stations for millions of viewers across the U.S. The deal will restore these channels just in time for sports fans to enjoy college football games on ESPN and ABC’s telecast of the Emmy Awards.
ABC had been unavailable on DirecTV in several major markets since September 1st, causing frustration for viewers. The blackout was due to a disagreement over carriage fees and programming flexibility. Financial details of the new deal were not disclosed, but DirecTV will now have the ability to offer Disney’s video streaming services a la carte and in bundle packages.
The agreement also includes the inclusion of ESPN’s forthcoming direct-to-consumer streaming service at an additional cost to subscribers once it is available. The resolution comes after DirecTV filed a complaint with the FCC accusing Disney of negotiating in bad faith. This is the second consecutive year that Disney’s disputes have resulted in pay-TV services experiencing blackouts of its networks.
This recent agreement follows last year’s blackout of Disney channels on Spectrum for 12 days before a settlement was reached just in time for the Monday Night Football opener. DirecTV’s 11 million subscribers can now breathe a sigh of relief knowing they will once again have access to the popular sports and entertainment content that was previously unavailable.
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