Disney And Directv Have Successfully Reached An Agreement That Puts An End To The Blackout Of Espn And Abc On Directv Platforms.

Disney has reached an agreement with DirecTV to restore all Disney-owned channels to over 10 million DirecTV subscribers, following a contentious 13-day blackout.

The deal was finalized just in time for important broadcasts, such as the 76th Emmy Awards airing on ABC, as well as ESPN’s college football games.

The companies expressed their gratitude to the affected viewers for their patience and announced the restoration of Disney’s entire portfolio of networks, ensuring access to college football games and the Emmy Awards this weekend.

This agreement enables DirecTV to offer genre-specific packages, including sports, entertainment, and kids & family, featuring Disney’s linear networks. It also allows certain DirecTV packages to include Disney’s streaming services, such as Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+.

“Through this first-of-its-kind collaboration, DIRECTV and Disney are providing customers with the ability to personalize their video experience through more flexible options,” stated the companies.

The financial details of the deal were not disclosed in the announcement made on Saturday. However, it was noted that DirecTV’s payments to Disney will be based on market-based pricing.

According to Leichtman Research Group, DirecTV currently has 11.3 million subscribers, making it the third-largest Pay TV provider in the United States.

The 13-day blackout, which started on September 1st, left millions of DirecTV customers without access to significant programming. As a result, DirecTV offered customers $30 credits to encourage them not to cancel their subscriptions during the standoff.

The resolution of the dispute came days after DirecTV filed a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), accusing Disney of negotiating in bad faith due to impasse-related tensions.

In a 10-page complaint, DirecTV claimed that Disney was violating FCC good faith mandates by imposing anticompetitive actions, such as packaging and minimum penetration demands. DirecTV aimed to provide consumers with smaller, more affordable bundles of programming, rather than larger bundles that included content some viewers may not want.

Additionally, DirecTV pointed out that Disney insisted on a clean slate provision and a covenant not to sue, preventing any legal action by DirecTV regarding Disney’s anticompetitive demands. DirecTV argued that such demands constitute bad faith, as stated by the Media Bureau a few months ago.

Disney countered the claims, stating that the mutual release of claims is a standard practice following licensing agreements and has been included in previous renewals with DirecTV.

“We continue to negotiate with DirecTV to restore access to our content as quickly as possible,” responded a Disney spokesperson in a statement to media outlets. “We urge DirecTV to stop creating diversions and instead prioritize their customers by finalizing a deal that would allow their subscribers to watch our strong upcoming lineup of sports, news, and entertainment programming, starting with the return of Monday Night Football.”