ESPN’s coverage of the US Open was cut off for DirecTV users on Sunday after Disney pulled the power between all of its networks. It comes after the 2019 agreement expired without a new licensing agreement between the two companies.
Unsurprisingly, DirecTV and Disney disagree about which company is to blame. “The Walt Disney Co. has once again refused any accountability to consumers, distribution partners, and now the US judicial system,” Rob Thun, DIRECTV’s chief content officer, said in a statement. “They want to continue chasing higher profits and greater control over consumer spending – making it difficult for them to choose the shows and games they want at the right price.”
The DirecTV release also said that Disney agreed at the last minute that it “must agree to drop all claims that Disney’s conduct is anti-competitive” in order to proceed with the deal. The provider also called Disney unpopular with many DirecTV customers. There was also a problem with Disney pitching its “best show,” as A bear again Only Murder in the Buildingdirectly to streaming services while filling ABC with “cheaper short-lived game shows, unscripted spinoffs, old ABC hits, or simulcast content.”
In contrast, Disney said DirecTV “chose” to deny its subscribers access to the content. “While we are open to offering DirecTV the flexibility and terms we have extended to other distributors, we will not enter into an agreement that undermines our portfolio of television channels and programs,” said Dana Walden and Alan Bergman, co-chairmen. Disney Entertainment, and Jimmy Pitaro, chairman of ESPN. “We invest heavily 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 its customers and finalize a deal that can quickly restore our programming.”
A similar disagreement occurred at the same time last year. In that instance, Disney pulled its networks from Spectrum for 12 days until it struck a new deal with Charter, Spectrum’s parent company. The deal brought back channels like ABC and ESPN, and Spectrum TV Select and Select Plus subscribers got access to the basic Disney+ and ESPN+ categories (Select Plus users only). In its release, DirecTV called out this pattern, saying “Disney has once again taken an anti-consumer approach.”
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