Disney Alleges DirecTV ‘Has Not Engaged in Earnest’ With Various TV Deal Options as Contract Expiration Looms
variety.comTodd Spangler NY Digital Editor Disney‘s lineup of TV networks, including ESPN and ABC, could go dark for DirecTV subscribers as early as this Sunday if the two sides can’t come to terms on a renewed distribution deal.
And right now, the companies are by all appearances far apart in the deal talks. DirecTV’s agreement with Disney expires Sunday, Sept.
1. If there’s no deal or temporary extension by then, Disney’s networks could be pulled from DirecTV. The renewal talks come as the NFL season kicks off next month, with ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” set to return Sept.
9. Justin Connolly, president of Disney Platform Distribution, said in an interview with Variety, “We continue to put a number of tangible options on the table, and DirecTV has not engaged in earnest at this point.” “At the moment we’re far apart,” Connolly said. “The focus is on trying to hammer out details, and the ball is in their court.” DirecTV has said it wants greater “flexibility” in how it packages Disney’s networks — and, according to Connolly, Disney has put “various options on the table,” including a sports-centric package that includes ESPN and ABC and an option to bundle Disney+ and Hulu with DirecTV’s TV packages. “We’ve been trying to be flexible with different constructs that DirecTV might be looking for,” he said, including setting Disney’s September 2023 deal with Charter Communications as a template. “We’ve been iterating in the room to try to get this done.” Disney’s last big carriage renewal was with Charter, after a 12-day blackout of Disney’s networks on Charter systems.
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