New York – For DirecTV subscribers frustrated by the loss of ESPN and other Disney-owned channels, the TV provider is offering some compensation as the outage extends into its third day.
The company is offering credits of at least $20 to customers who have DirecTV, DirecTV Stream and U-Verse services, but customers won’t get the credit automatically. They have to go to a special website and request it using their account email, and the credit will appear on a future bill.
The outage, affecting 11 million subscribers, comes as the college football and NFL seasons begin and the US Open tennis tournament reaches its final days.
“We are investigating all options to get your station back,” DirecTV said on its website. “To thank you for your patience, until the situation is resolved, we are offering you a bill credit.”
On Sunday, Disney removed ESPN and other cable channels it owns, such as Freeform and FX, as well as Disney-owned ABC affiliates in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, from DirecTV’s lineup because the two companies failed to reach a new carriage deal.
“Walt Disney Co. is once again refusing to be accountable to consumers, distribution partners and now the American justice system,” Rob Thun, DirecTV’s chief content officer, said in a previous statement. “They want to continue to pursue maximum profits and dominant control at the expense of consumers, making it harder for them to select the shows and sports they want at a reasonable price.”
In response, Disney said it was “willing to offer DirecTV the flexibility and terms we have extended to other distributors, and we will not enter into a deal that undervalues our portfolio of television channels and programming.”
Disney has offered DirecTV a sports-centric package that includes ESPN and ABC sports broadcasts, as well as a selection of Disney linear channels bundled with some of the entertainment giant’s direct-to-consumer services, a person familiar with the matter told CNN.
The breakdown in negotiations comes as satellite and cable providers seek narrower, more flexible deals from programmers that could offer more affordable options to consumers seeking a narrower selection of channels.
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