Around 11 million households in the United States have lost access to ESPN due to a dispute between Disney, the parent company of the sports network, and the satellite television provider DirecTV.
The disagreement arose after their carriage agreement expired on September 1, leading to halted negotiations. As a result, ESPN, ABC, and various other pay-TV channels became unavailable to DirecTV subscribers. This blackout means that fans will miss coverage of events like the US Open tennis Grand Slam and upcoming college football games. The US Open organizers described the situation as “disappointing,” encouraging viewers to explore other streaming options for ESPN’s coverage.
Despite facing challenges with cord-cutting in recent years, DirecTV remains a major player in the industry, with approximately 11 million subscribers across its satellite and DirecTV Stream services. DirecTV’s Chief Content Officer Rob Thun has expressed a desire to collaborate with Disney on creating smaller, more customized channel packages that better reflect viewer preferences, rather than larger bundles that include unwanted channels. Additionally, DirecTV has criticized Disney for prioritizing its streaming service for popular shows while still charging pay-TV providers.
Disney has refuted these claims, stating that they have engaged in negotiations “in good faith” and have offered multiple flexible options to provide access to their streaming services for DirecTV’s subscribers. This dispute follows a similar situation last year when Disney channels went dark on Charter’s Spectrum cable network, which affected nearly 15 million subscribers until a new agreement was reached.
In a joint statement, Disney Entertainment co-chairs Dana Walden and Alan Bergman, along with ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro, criticized DirecTV for denying subscribers access to their content during critical sporting events, while expressing willingness to negotiate terms that appropriately value their programming. Thun added that Disney seems focused on maximizing profits at the expense of consumers’ choices.
If the deadlock continues, DirecTV may also miss airing ESPN’s first Monday Night Football game for the NFL season scheduled for September 9.