DirecTV has successfully reached a new agreement with Walt Disney Co., bringing ESPN and ABC-owned channels back to its lineup after a nearly two-week blackout. This resolution is especially timely for sports fans eager to catch college football action on ESPN. Additionally, DirecTV subscribers will now be able to tune in to the upcoming Emmy Awards broadcast on ABC. The blackout, which began on September 1, affected major markets like the San Francisco Bay Area, New York, and Chicago, stemming from a dispute over carriage fees and programming terms. Over 11 million subscribers were impacted, missing key events such as the U.S. Open tennis tournament and the highly anticipated college football game between LSU and Southern California. While the financial details of the new deal remain undisclosed, DirecTV confirmed that payments to Disney will follow market-based pricing.
The agreement also expands DirecTV’s offerings by allowing them to include Disney’s streaming services, both as standalone options and within bundled packages, giving subscribers more flexibility. Moreover, the deal includes future access to ESPN’s streaming service, set to launch for an additional fee. This resolution comes on the heels of DirecTV’s complaint to the Federal Communications Commission, accusing Disney of negotiating in bad faith. Interestingly, this marks the second year in a row that Disney’s networks have been pulled from major pay-TV platforms due to programming disputes, with a similar situation occurring last year with Spectrum.
