ESPN has once again gone dark on a major carrier during key sporting events, as the channel ceased broadcasting on DirecTV just before the fourth round of the U.S. Open tennis tournament on Sunday night. This disruption comes amidst the first full weekend of college football for the second consecutive year.
The blackout occurred at 7:20 p.m. EDT, shortly before a match featuring American player Frances Tiafoe, who reached the semifinals of the 2022 U.S. Open, and Australian Alexei Popyrin, who recently ousted defending champion Novak Djokovic. The blackout also hit just 10 minutes before the kickoff of a college football game between No. 13 LSU and 23rd-ranked Southern California in Las Vegas.
This disruption stemmed from failed negotiations between DirecTV and Disney Entertainment, which led to the removal of several popular channels, including ABC-owned stations across numerous cities such as Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago. The U.S. Tennis Association expressed disappointment over the situation, stating that fans were being deprived of watching top athletes due to the ongoing dispute.
Last year, a similar standoff occurred between Disney and Spectrum, the second-largest cable provider in the U.S., which lasted nearly 12 days before an agreement was reached just hours before the NFL’s first Monday night game of the season.
DirecTV’s chief content officer, Rob Thun, criticized Disney for attempting to exert greater control over distribution channels, claiming the company is prioritizing profits over consumer satisfaction. He emphasized that subscribers are frustrated with the increasing costs and complicated access to content across various platforms.
Disney executives, including co-chairmen Dana Walden and Alan Bergman, along with ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro, released a statement urging DirecTV to finalize a new deal. They expressed willingness to negotiate but insisted they would not compromise on the value of their programming.
The ongoing negotiation issues reflect a broader industry trend where networks and distributors are struggling to align content delivery with consumer demands, amid frustrations over bundling packages and the repositioning of premium programming on direct-to-consumer platforms.