Admin September 12, 2024
DirecTV users lose access to ESPN, ABC and other Disney channels amid contract dispute
DirecTV and Disney failed to reach an agreement over the weekend, causing Disney to remove channels from the platform.
Scripps News
College football fans face another week of blackouts as negotiations between The Walt Disney Company, which owns ESPN, ABC and college conference channels, and satellite carrier DirecTV appear to remain at a deadlock.
Disney-owned channels went dark on DirecTV Sept. 1 when the contract between the two ended.
DirecTV filed a complaint against Disney with the Federal Communications Commission Saturday, accusing the entertainment giant of negotiating in bad faith.
“DirecTV and Disney have found themselves in an impasse for a week now,” according to the complaint obtained by USA TODAY. “Millions of Americans have already missed early college football games, may well miss the first Monday Night Football game.”
Disney denied the allegations ahead of the filing and said that, “we believe there is a path to a fair and flexible agreement that strikes this critical balance and works for all sides, especially the consumer,” in a statement sent to USA TODAY Sept. 4.
The company said that it is continuing to, “negotiate with DirecTV to restore access to our content as quickly as possible,” in a separate statement sent to USA TODAY Monday.
The negotiations caused college football fans to miss the final two games of Week 1 and the entire slate of Week 2 games carried on the Disney channels.
What Week 3 college football games are on Disney owned channels?
Disney owned channels are slated to air 19 games this weekend.
The schedule includes the Arizona State Sun Devils and Texas State Bobcats kicking off the weekend Thursday night, No. 24 Boston College heading into Columbia to face No. 6 Missouri Saturday afternoon and No. 1 Georgia traveling to Lexington to take on Kentucky in the Saturday primetime slot.
Blackout rebate: DirecTV subscribers can get a $20 credit for the Disney/ESPN blackout
All times EST
Thursday
- Arizona State @ Texas State ESPN 7:30 p.m.
Friday
- UNLV @ Kansas ESPN 7 p.m.
Saturday
- No. 13 Oklahoma State @ Tulsa ESPN2 12 p.m.
- No. 16 LSU @ South Carolina ABC 12 p.m.
- Memphis @ Florida State ESPN 12 p.m.
- Louisiana Tech @ NC State ACC Network 12 p.m
- Cincinatti @ Miami (OH) ESPNU 12 p.m.
- No. 24 Boston College @ No. 6 Missouri SEC Network 12:45 p.m.
- Ball St. @ No. 10 Miami ACC Network 3:30 p.m.
- Tulane @ No. 15 Oklahoma ESPN 3:30 p.m.
- Texas A&M @ Florida ABC 3:30 p.m.
- West Virginia @ Pitt ESPN2 3:30 p.m.
- Appalachian State @ East Carolina ESPNU 4 p.m.
- UTSA @ No. 2 Texas ESPN 7 p.m.
- No. 1 Georgia @ Kentucky ABC 7:30 p.m.
- New Mexico @ Auburn ESPN2 7:30 p.m.
- Toledo @Mississippi State ESPNU 7:30 p.m.
- Kent State @ No. 7 Tennessee SEC Network 7:45 p.m.
- Maryland @ Virginia ACC Network 8 p.m.
- San Diego State @ Cal ESPN 10:30 p.m.