DirecTV Blocks ABC & ESPN in Ongoing Dispute With Disney

Both ABC and ESPN have been blacked out for customers with DirecTV. Customers received no warning, and Disney is saying that it is the service provider’s fault for not coming to agreeable contract terms. This isn’t the first time recent battles with Disney have caused blackouts, leaving millions without access to some of the most popular channels. So, will ABC and ESPN return to DirecTV? Here is what each company is saying about the matter.

Several Disney channels have been blacked out for DirecTV customers. This includes popular channels like ABC, ESPN, History, FX, Soapnet, and of course Disney Channel and Disney Junior.

The chief content officer at DirecTV, Rob Thun, issued a statement about the blacked-out channels. He said, “The Walt Disney Co. is once again refusing any accountability to consumers, distribution partners, and now the American judicial system.”

Rob continued, “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.”

The DirecTV executive said that Disney is aiming to maximize profits at the expense of consumers. Ultimately, it makes it harder for companies like DirecTV to offer those channels at a reasonable price.

However, executives at Disney are spinning a different tale. Dana Walden and Alan Bergman, co-chairmen of Disney Entertainment, along with Jimmy Pitaro, chairman of ESPN, issued a statement of their own.

In their statement, the Disney execs say that DirecTV “chose to deny millions of subscribers to our content.” They highlighted that DirecTV’s decision comes at an unfortunate time for sports fans, in particular. It is the final week of the U.S. Open and football season is kicking off.

“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,” the statement read. They continued to point out that Disney delivers some of the number-one brands in news, entertainment, and sports. To continue to do this, they have had to adjust their contract terms with providers.

“We urge DirecTV to do what’s in the best interest of their customers and finalize a deal that would immediately restore our programming,” they concluded.

Viewers took to social media to air their grievances about the blacked-out channels on DirecTV. One person tweeted, “Guess we won’t be watching sports and cartoons, y’all!”

Another person wrote on X, “ESPN alone costs carriers nearly 4x what the next closest channel does because of all the massive sports TV rights deals. That’s the crux of the issue.” A third chimed in, “I’m so tired of ESPN-Disney [monopoly] game, horrible channels.”

As mentioned above, this isn’t the first time the entertainment company has pulled its programming from a service provider. Charter Spectrum and Disney went through a similar situation a year ago. At the time, 14 million subscribers were denied access to Disney-owned channels and missed out on major sporting events.

Disney issued another statement at the time, saying that they were in the middle of negotiation with Charter Communications. “Disney Entertainment has successful deals in place with pay-TV providers of all types and sizes across the country, and the rates and terms we are seeking in this renewal are driven by the marketplace,” the statement read.

That said, Disney said that it was committed to reaching a resolution with Charter Spectrum. Once again, the service provider told a different tale altogether.

Spectrum said that it offered the entertainment company a “fair deal,” but they were demanding an “excessive increase.” They added, “The rising cost of programming is the single greatest factor in higher cable TV prices, and we are fighting hard to hold the line on programming rates imposed on us by companies like Disney.”

In the end, Spectrum and Disney hashed out a deal that made Disney+ and ESPN+ free for subscribers.

Right now, there is no telling when Disney channels will be available again for DirecTV subscribers.

Source: tvshowsace.com