DirecTV and ESPN’s parent company Walt Disney’s contract stalemate came to an end Saturday after the network’s channels were removed.
Disney and DirecTV announced they reached an agreement in principle on Saturday, restoring college football and other programming to the satellite TV provider’s more than 11 million subscribers.
The deal affords satellite TV subscribers greater choice and flexibility, the companies said in a joint statement.
DirecTV customers had lost access to ABC, ESPN and other Disney-owned networks on September 1, after renewal negotiations between the satellite company and media giant collapsed.
The blackout saw more than 11 million homes miss out on weeks of sporting action including the US Open, college football games such as USC’s highly anticipated win over LSU, and Aaron Rodgers’ highly-anticipated return on Monday Night Football for the Jets’ season opener against the San Francisco 49ers.
DirecTV and ESPN’s parent company Walt Disney’s contract stalemate has come to an end
The MNF game saw the return of Aaron Rodgers for the New York team in California
DirecTV will be able to offer multiple genre-specific programming packages, including those focused on sports, entertainment, kids and family programming.
Disney’s streaming services, Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+, will also be included in certain DirecTV’s packages.
‘DirecTV and Disney have a long-standing history of connecting consumers to the best entertainment, and this agreement furthers that commitment by recognizing both the tremendous value of Disney´s content and the evolving preferences of DIRECTV´s customers,’ the companies said in a statement.
The dispute hit a new low earlier this week. On Monday night as fans hoping to watch San Francisco 49ers vs New York Jets were met with a stunning message.
The network provider laid the blame solely at Disney’s door with a message that read: ‘Disney wants you to miss out on Monday Night Football on ABC and ESPN while DIRECTV works to reach a new agreement.’
Fans were left furious, with one taking to X and saying: ‘@DirecTV 27 years. Loyal customer. No #espn. NO Game. NO #ABC for 2 years. No #MNF D O N E. Horrible for the consumer. Greed on both sides.’
Another said: ‘Come on @Disney, @DirecTV, let’s end this dispute so millions of people can watch Monday Night Football.’