As the DirecTV and U-verse channel blackout continues for the 10th day, a proposal by the Walt Disney Co. for partial and temporary detente has sparked a new spat.
Earlier Tuesday, Disney offered to restore the ABC network to DirecTV, Uber and DirecTV Stream customers in the lead-up to tonight’s highly anticipated debate, hosted by ABC News.
“As we announced in May, the ABC News presidential debate will be widely available across broadcast, cable and streaming,” a Disney spokesperson said in a statement. “While we have not yet reached an agreement with (DirecTV), we are providing a free three-hour feed of ABC News coverage to all affected DirecTV customers because we want all Americans to be able to watch tonight’s debate during this critical moment in our history.”
DirecTV responded that it would accede to its request to bring ABC back onto the debate circuit if Disney would accept a more comprehensive compromise. The El Segundo-based satellite television provider asked Disney to allow it to carry the full suite of Disney Channels, including ABC and ESPN, after which the two sides worked for another week to reach a new distribution deal.
“While we work toward a new agreement, returning the Disney-owned channels next week will benefit our customers, who will once again have access to ABC for Sunday’s debate and the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony,” DirecTV said in a blog post. Such a move would allow fans to watch “their favorite college or professional football games on ABC, ESPN, ACC or SEC Network,” DirecTV added.
According to DirecTV, Disney rejected DirecTV’s proposal.
Disney countered that it was DirecTV that rejected its offer to broadcast the presidential debate.
Burbank-based Disney has faced a dilemma over the past week: ABC News landed the coveted role of moderating the Harris-Trump debate, potentially the only presidential debate this year between both candidates, but viewers in the homes of about 11 million DirecTV subscribers can’t access the Disney Channel, which includes their local ABC stations and ESPN.
Viewers have other options to watch the debate: The company has partnerships with PBS, CBS, NBC, CNN, Fox News and streaming platforms. Still, the debate is a major opportunity for ABC News and anchors David Muir and Lindsay Davis to shine in front of a national audience. Disney executives wanted to ensure that the company’s fee dispute wasn’t an obstacle to viewers’ peek into history.
The ABC will also benefit from the ratings generated by the debate.
The outages have tested viewers’ patience and loyalty to DirecTV and U-Verse.
On Monday, millions of DirecTV customers missed the kickoff of ESPN’s “Monday Night Football,” a highly anticipated game in which the San Francisco 49ers beat the New York Jets.
DirecTV and U-verse customers have grown increasingly frustrated as the dispute drags on, but Tuesday’s developments underscore the nature of a dispute that has now spread beyond the sports world to include the Disney Channel, FX and ABC television stations.
The two sides have been trading blows over advertising campaigns, but last weekend DirecTV upped the ante by filing a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission alleging that Disney isn’t negotiating in good faith and that its tactics are anti-competitive.
Eight ABC stations owned by Disney, including KABC-TV in Los Angeles, have been blacked out on DirecTV and Uber, meaning viewers are missing local news shows “Good Morning America,” “The View,” “Jeopardy!,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and Now the Debate. The other Disney-owned stations are in San Francisco, Fresno, Houston, Chicago, Raleigh, North Carolina, New York and Philadelphia, where tonight’s debate will be held.
(Tag Translation)Hollywood Inc.
