Any DirecTV subscribers who tried to tune in to the USC vs. LSU college football game on ABC last night were greeted by a static image informing them that the provider’s contract with Disney has expired. Due to this dispute, millions of Americans were unable to watch one of the biggest matchups of the weekend, and the blackout is still ongoing as of Monday.
Of course, each side claims the other is to blame. DirecTV says Disney pulled its programming “despite attempts by DIRECTV to reach new, multi-billion-dollar licensing agreements for a broad range of programming, including local ABC broadcast stations and affiliates, streaming content like Hulu, and Disney’s ESPN suite of channels.”
Meanwhile, Disney believes that “millions of DirecTV customers are left in the dark while ESPN and other Disney-owned channels are blacked out due to DirecTV’s decision to decline a fair, marketplace-based agreement with The Walt Disney Company.”
As with every carriage dispute, the consumers are the real losers. While DirecTV and The Walt Disney Company bicker over how many billions of dollars Disney’s programming is really worth, the people who are paying up to $160 a month for DirecTV are the ones missing out.
Though the two parties often come to a resolution relatively quickly so as not to anger too many customers, these disputes occasionally take time. For instance, Disney and Charter’s Spectrum had a similar brawl last September, which impacted ABC, ESPN, FX, and more channels. That dispute lasted 12 days before the channels returned.
With the US Open, Emmy Awards, college football, and the US Presidental Debate all airing on Disney’s networks in the coming days and weeks, the two sides have the incentive to get a deal done ASAP. In the meantime, DirecTV subscribers continue to suffer.
If you can’t wait that long, check out some of the best alternatives to DirecTV.
