Disney Hits Back At DirecTV In Carriage Fight, Saying It “Continues To Misrepresent The Facts”

deadline.com:

After DirecTV had its say Tuesday in an hour-long conference call with Wall Street analysts, Disney hit back at the pay-TV operator as the companies’ carriage impasse enters its fourth day. “DirecTV continues to misrepresent the facts around our ongoing negotiations,” Disney said in a statement from Dana Walden and Alan Bergman, co-chairmen, Disney Entertainment; and Jimmy Pitaro, chairman, ESPN. “Our priority is to reach a marketplace deal that serves the needs of DirecTV and their customers while also recognizing the value of our top-quality content and the significant investment required to create and acquire it.

We believe there is a path to a fair and flexible agreement that strikes this critical balance and works for all sides, especially the consumer.” Disney networks, including ABC and ESPN, went dark Sunday evening across DirecTV’s satellite, internet and cable systems.

The carriage dispute has left 11 million-plus subscribers without access to college football and prime-time shows like The Bachelorette.

Two major programming milestones are approaching next week: Monday Night Football and the presidential debate hosted by ABC.