Great news for sports fans! DirecTV has officially reached a deal with Walt Disney Co. to restore ESPN and ABC-owned stations to its service after a nearly 2-week blackout. This means millions of viewers across the U.S. can once again enjoy their favorite sports programming.
The timing couldn’t be better, as this deal comes just in time for viewers to catch ESPN’s exciting college football games on DirecTV. Additionally, it ensures that ABC’s telecast of the Emmy Awards will be available to subscribers in major markets.
ABC had been unavailable on DirecTV in several markets since Sept. 1, affecting cities like San Francisco, New York, and Chicago. This resulted from a dispute over carriage fees and programming flexibility, which led to DirecTV’s 11 million subscribers losing access to ESPN and other Disney-owned channels over Labor Day weekend.
Viewers were left disappointed during events like the U.S. Open tennis tournament and college football showdowns, but now, they can breathe a sigh of relief with Disney channels back on their screens. The financial details of the new deal remain undisclosed, but it promises market-based pricing for DirecTV’s payments to Disney.
In addition to restoring the Disney channels, the agreement allows DirecTV to offer Disney’s video streaming services both a la carte and in bundled packages. Subscribers can look forward to accessing ESPN’s direct-to-consumer streaming service in the future.
This deal follows rising tensions and a complaint filed by DirecTV with the FCC against Disney. It’s worth noting that this isn’t the first time Disney’s negotiation tactics have led to channel blackouts. Last year, a similar situation occurred with Spectrum before a last-minute resolution.
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