DirecTV has filed a complaint against Disney with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), accusing them of negotiating in bad faith.
DirecTV Accuses Disney of Bad Faith Negotiations
DirecTV and Disney’s ongoing contract dispute has left 11 million DirecTV customers without access to Disney-owned networks since September 1.
In their FCC filing, DirecTV states they “have found themselves in an impasse for a week now.”
DirecTV subscribers nationwide have lost ESPN and other Disney sports and entertainment programming, and subscribers in eight of the nation’s largest markets have lost Disney-owned television stations as well. In addition, subscribers to DirecTV’s streaming services have lost ABC stations not owned by Disney itself. Thus, millions of Americans have already missed early college football games, may well miss the first Monday Night Football game, and, if the impasse lasts, will miss the presidential debate, produced and hosted by ABC.
“Monday Night Football” begins on Monday, September 9, and the presidential debate is on Tuesday, September 10.
A Disney spokesperson told Deadline this is a common tactic for DirecTV. They said, “We continue to negotiate with DirecTV to restore access to our content as quickly as possible. We urge DirecTV to stop creating diversions and instead prioritize their customers by finalizing a deal that would allow their subscribers to watch our strong upcoming lineup of sports, news, and entertainment programming, starting with the return of Monday Night Football.”
A spokesperson previously said Disney has proposed numerous packages aimed at providing customers with the choices that DirecTV is concerned consumers aren’t receiving. These offerings include a sports-centric package, an entertainment-based option, and linear offerings with subscription services. Disney asks for rates that reflect the value of Disney’s content and are in line with other distribution providers in the marketplace.
DirecTV Chief Financial Officer Ray Carpenter claimed Disney was not interested in providing flexible packages to customers.
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