ESPN has been removed from a major carrier for the second consecutive year during the U.S. Open tennis tournament and the first full weekend of college football. Disney Entertainment channels went dark on DirecTV on Sunday night after failing to reach a new carriage agreement. This move upset some sports fans who expressed their dissatisfaction on social media, and the U.S. Tennis Association also expressed disappointment over the carriage dispute. ESPN was airing the fourth round of the U.S. Open when it went off the air on DirecTV at 7:20 p.m. EDT, just before the match between Frances Tiafoe and Alexei Popyrin.
The disruption occurred moments before the No. 13 LSU and 23rd-ranked Southern California college football game in Las Vegas. DirecTV customers in several major cities, including Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, and Houston, also lost access to ABC-owned stations due to the blackout. Last year, Disney and Spectrum resolved a similar dispute shortly before the first Monday night NFL game of the season after almost 12 days of negotiations.
DirecTV claimed that Disney proposed an extension to keep the channels on the air, but it required DirecTV to forgo all future legal claims of anti-competitive behavior. DirecTV’s chief content officer criticized Disney for prioritizing profits and control over consumers’ preferences and pricing. Disney Entertainment co-chairmen and ESPN chairman issued a joint statement urging DirecTV to reach a resolution, emphasizing the value they place on their television channels and programs.
The disagreement highlights the ongoing conflict between networks and distributors concerning content distribution and pricing models. Distributors and consumers are pushing for more flexibility to purchase channels individually rather than being tied to bundled packages. Additionally, distributors are frustrated with production companies releasing premium programming on direct-to-consumer platforms before traditional channels. DirecTV specifically mentioned the miniseries “Shogun” appearing on Hulu before airing on FX.
Apart from ESPN network channels and ABC-owned stations, other Disney-branded channels like Freeform, FX, and National Geographic also went dark on DirecTV. The standoff between Disney Entertainment and DirecTV reflects broader challenges in the industry as companies navigate changing viewer preferences and distribution platforms.
