ABC and ESPN blacked out from DirecTV with ‘no warning’ in Disney’s latest schedule shakeup after contract disputes

ABC and ESPN have been blacked out from DirecTV without warning in Disney’s latest schedule shakeup after contract disputes.

This isn’t the first time Disney’s dispute with a major TV carrier has left millions without access to its channels.

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Disney and the satellite TV giant DirecTV find themselves at odds, and several Disney channels – including ABC and ESPN – have gone dark for DirecTV customers , per the Hollywood Reporter .

“The Walt Disney Co. is once again refusing any accountability to consumers, distribution partners, and now the American judicial system,” said Rob Thun, chief content officer at DirecTV, in a statement following the channels going black.

He continued, “Disney is in the business of creating alternate realities, but this is the real world where we believe you earn your way and must answer for your own actions.

“They want to continue to chase maximum profits and dominant control at the expense of consumers – making it harder for them to select the shows and sports they want at a reasonable price.”

Dana Walden and Alan Bergman, co-chairmen of Disney Entertainment, and Jimmy Pitaro, chairman of ESPN told Disney’s side of events in a statement, reading, “DirecTV chose to deny millions of subscribers access to our content just as we head into the final week of the U.S. Open and gear up for college football and the opening of the NFL season.

“While we’re open to offering DirecTV flexibility and terms which we’ve extended to other distributors, we will not enter into an agreement that undervalues our portfolio of television channels and programs.”

The Disney execs continued, “We invest significantly to deliver the No. 1 brands in entertainment, news and sports because that’s what our viewers expect and deserve.

“We urge DirecTV to do what’s in the best interest of their customers and finalize a deal that would immediately restore our programming.”

CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS

Variety also shared the news that Disney-owned channels have gone dark on DirecTV on X , where customers and users in the know rushed to share their opinions on the two sides failing to come to terms on a new carriage agreement.

One customer tweeted, “Guess we won’t be watching sports and cartoons, y’all!”

“ESPN alone costs carriers nearly 4x what the next closest channel does because of all the massive sports TV rights deals. That’s the crux of the issue,” commented another.

“I’m so tired of ESPN-Disney [monopoly] game, horrible channels,” added a third.

CHARTER CONTRACT DISPUTE

A year ago, Disney-owned channels went dark on Charter Spectrum , causing its then-14 million subscribers to miss out on major sporting events.

In a statement, Disney said, “We’ve been in ongoing negotiations with Charter Communications for some time and have not yet agreed to a new market-based agreement.

The Walt Disney Co. is once again refusing any accountability to consumers, distribution partners, and now the American judicial system.”

Rob Thun, chief content officer at DirecTV In a statement per The Hollywood Reporter

“Disney Entertainment has successful deals in place with pay-TV providers of all types and sizes across the country, and the rates and terms we are seeking in this renewal are driven by the marketplace,” the statement continued.

The entertainment conglomerate claimed they were committed to “reaching a mutually agreed upon resolution” with Charter Spectrum.

Spectrum fired back , stating that Disney “removed their programming” from their service and created a “hardship” for their customers.

The largest pay-TV provider in the country said, “We offered Disney a fair deal, yet they are demanding an excessive increase.

“The rising cost of programming is the single greatest factor in higher cable TV prices, and we are fighting hard to hold the line on programming rates imposed on us by companies like Disney.”

Ultimately, Disney and Charter cut a deal that made Disney+ and ESPN+ available to Charter Spectrum subscribers at no extra cost.

Alamy

Reuters