What's a "Carriage Dispute?" a Timeline of Disney's Battle with DirecTV

By Natalie Lifson, Agent Trainee at Buchwald and your co-Editor-in-Chief at THA

Disney and DirectTV currently have a carriage deal, which is defined as “a contract between a content provider and a cable or satellite television operator, in which the operator agrees to carry the provider’s channels in exchange for a fee.”

As the current contract expires and Disney and DirectTV negotiate terms of its renewal, they have not been able to come to an agreement on terms. This has resulted in blackouts of Disney content on DirectTV. 

Here’s a timeline of the dispute:

August 27:

• Disney Alleges DirecTV ‘Has Not Engaged in Earnest’ With Various TV Deal Options as Contract Expiration Looms -Variety

• Disney channels like ABC and ESPN could go dark this week on DirecTV if a new deal isn't reached. -THR

August 30: Disney-DirecTV Carriage Renewal Talks Continue Ahead Of Deadline; Blackout Warnings To Viewers Could Begin Soon. -Deadline

• Disney and DirecTV remain at the bargaining table, trying to reach a renewal of their current distribution agreement, which expires Sunday. -Deadline

September 1:

• Disney Goes Dark on DirecTV in Contract Fight Over Fees for ESPN, ABC, Disney Channel, Freeform and More. -Variety

  • “ESPN and other Disney-owned channels have gone dark on DirecTV after the sides failed to come to terms on a new carriage agreement, a business impasse that reflects the broader economic pain spreading throughout the pay TV sector.” -Variety

  • The blackout affects more than 11 million subscribers.

• Rob Thun, Chief Content Officer at DirecTV, accused Disney of chasing “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.” -Deadline

• Co-Chairmen of Disney Entertainment (Dana Walden, Alan Bergman), and Chairman of ESPN (Jimmy Pitaro) released a statement in response: “DirecTV 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 DirecTV 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 programs.” -Deadline

September 3:

• As Carriage Fight With Disney Continues, DirecTV CFO Calls For Pay-TV Bundle A Fraction Of The Size Of Today’s “Bloated” Packages -Deadline

• DirecTV Says It Will Fight “as Long as It Needs to” in Carriage Dispute With Disney. -THR

  • The satellite TV giant is pushing for more flexibility in its packages, including “skinny, genre-based” bundles, where customers can choose the kind of content they want to pay for. -THR

September 4: Disney Hits Back At DirecTV In Carriage Fight, Saying It “Continues To Misrepresent The Facts” -Deadline

September 6: DirecTV and Disney Offer Dueling Discounts as Carriage Dispute War of Words Escalates. -THR

• “DirecTV is offering discounts and a $30 credit toward Fubo or Sling, while Disney is offering $30 off the first month of Hulu With Live TV, coming amid a tense blackout between the companies.” -THR

September 8: DirecTV Files FCC Complaint Accusing Disney of Negotiating in Bad Faith as Blackout of ESPN, ABC Drags On -THR