Disney has pulled ABC ESPN and several other networks from Direct TV due to a failure to reach a new distribution agreement leaving millions of sports fans in the dark just as the college football and NFL seasons are beginning the expiration of the previous deal between the two companies resulted in Disney owned channels going dark for over 11 million satellite subscribers this blackout occurred ahead of the highly anticipated USC Trojans versus LSU Tigers game in the middle of the US Open tennis tournament and just days before the NFL season opener Rob tun Direct TV's Chief content officer criticized Disney stating the Walt Disney Company is once again refusing any accountability to Consumers distribution partners and now the American Judicial System Disney is in the business of creating alternate realities but this is the real world where we believe you earn your way and must ask answer for your own actions they want to continue to chase 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 the standoff has not only affected ESPN and ABC Affiliates but also forced other networks like FX National Geographic and free form to go dark on Direct TV Disney Executives including Dana Walden Alan Bergman and ESPN chairman Jimmy pataro expressed their disappointment stating Direct TV chose to deny millions of subscribers access to our content just as we head into the final week of the US Open and gear up for college football and the opening of the NFL season while we're open to offering Direct TV flexibility and terms which we've extended to other Distributors we will not enter into an agreement that undervalues our portfolio of television channels and Pro programs we urg Direct TV to do what's in the best interest of their customers and finalize a deal that would immediately restore our programming as negotiations continued Disney reportedly offered Direct TV a sports Centric package that included ESPN networks and ABC Sports broadcasts along with a selection of Disney's linear channels and some direct to consumer services Disney emphasized that the rates they're requesting from Direct TV are consistent with those of other providers and reflect the value of its entertainment portfolio a Disney spokesperson accused Direct TV of seeking unreasonable discounts however Direct TV claimed that Disney demanded the carrier wave all future legal claims related to anti-competitive behavior in order to reach a deal this dispute arises as satellite and cable providers like Direct TV seek to offer skinnier and more flexible bundles to provide provide consumers with more affordable options and a smaller selection of channels unfortunately while direct to Consumer offerings have evolved pay TV packages have remained largely unchanged ton explained in an open letter instead of allowing Distributors like Direct TV to develop smaller more tailored packages at prices that reflect the value they get from the content programmers have continued to impose and enforce strict bundling requirements through exorbitant minimum penetration rates the minimum proportion of a distributor's subscribers required to access a channel the stalemate comes at a time when media Giants including Disney Warner Brothers Discovery and Paramount are increasingly shifting premium shows to their own streaming services bypassing traditional cable and satellite distribution tune added consumer frustration is at an all-time high as Disney shifts its best producers most Innovative show top teams conferences and entire leagues to their director consumer services while making customers pay more than once for the same programming on multiple Disney platforms Disney's only magic is forcing prices to go up while simultaneously making its content disappear last year Disney narrowly avoided a similar situation with Charter by renewing a distribution deal just in time to prevent a blackout of Monday Night Football the agreement with char allowed greater flexibility in bundles and provided access to Disney streaming services including Disney plus and ESPN plus traditional media companies have been transitioning away from the Reliance on traditional cable bundles towards streaming services as millions of consumers continue to cut the cord each year this shift has been accelerated by the rapid rise of Netflix and other streaming platforms recently a federal judge temporarily blocked the launch of a sports focused joint streaming Venture from Disney Warner Brothers Discovery and fox Corporation following a lawsuit from fubba which claimed the trio were attempting to monopolize the sports media Market