The battle between DirecTV and Disney over their contract is heating up as the blackout of Disney networks on DirecTV will almost certainly continue for a second week.
Disney dispute leaves DirecTV customers without popular sports channels
On Saturday, DirecTV filed a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission alleging that Disney had not negotiated in good faith. DirecTV alleged that Disney violated the FCC's good faith mandates by basing a licensing agreement on DirecTV's waiver of all legal claims over Disney's "anticompetitive actions," including persistent packaging and minimum penetration requirements.
Disney and DirecTV failed to reach an agreement before their previous distribution deal expired on Sept. 1, resulting in ESPN, ABC, FX, SEC Network, ACC Network, Disney Channel, NatGeo, Freeform and the rest of Disney’s networks being pulled from DirecTV’s lineup. The companies remain far apart in settling the feud amid a packed weekend of sports on ESPN and ABC, including college football and the 2024 U.S. Open tennis finals. Additionally, ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” will return on Sept. 9 with the New York Jets taking on the San Francisco 49ers, and ABC News will host the Sept. 10 debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.
In a statement to Variety in response to DirecTV's complaint with the FCC, a Disney spokesperson said, "We continue to negotiate with DirecTV to restore access to our content as quickly as possible. We urge DirecTV to stop creating distractions and instead prioritize its customers by reaching a deal that will allow their subscribers to watch our strong upcoming lineup of sports, news and entertainment programming, beginning with the return of 'Monday Night Football.'"
