DirecTV And Disney Are Beefing … And Viewers Are Paying The Price

Even if you’re one of the millions who have long abandoned cable in favor of streaming options, you’ve probably heard about the ongoing DirecTV-Disney dispute. Households and businesses that rely on the satellite service have found themselves without access to channels including ESPN, ABC, and Disney Channel after the expiration of a contract between the two entities left them at a negotiating stalemate.

What both sides want

For its part, DirecTV is calling on Disney to allow it to provide lower-cost subscription packages that don’t include ESPN. Disney wants to keep things as they were under the previous contract, though, particularly given the profitable nature of the popular sports network.

This isn’t the first dispute between a television service provider and an entertainment company, but this time around it seems emblematic of a more fundamental fight for survival by cable providers and companies like DirecTV. Streaming has taken a huge bite out of such services, which are now trying to cut costs and keep existing customers in order to simply stay in business.

Nobody’s happy

It isn’t just Disney and DirecTV that are upset over the current situation. While they’re throwing stones at each other, the NFL season is heating up without any guarantee that fans at home or many sports bars across the country will be able to watch certain games.

And then there are those who are missing out on shows like ABC’s “The Bachelorette” and countless others broadcast by Disney-owned networks.

For its part, DirecTV is giving subscribers a $20 credit and updating the situation online. That’s not enough to satisfy viewers, though, and politicians like North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper are intervening.

He called on both sides to reach an agreement “on behalf of many North Carolinians who are frustrated and angry” about the situation.

Chris Agee September 9th, 2024

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