ESPN has gone off the air on DirecTV for the second year in a row during the U.S. Open tennis tournament and college football season. Disney Entertainment channels also went dark after the sides couldn’t reach a new carriage agreement. The move upset sports fans and the U.S. Tennis Association, who expressed disappointment over the situation. The outage occurred shortly before a U.S. Open match and a college football game, impacting viewers across multiple markets. DirecTV accused Disney of refusing accountability and prioritizing profit over consumers. Disney, on the other hand, emphasized the value of its programming and the need for fair negotiations. The dispute underscores ongoing tensions between networks and distributors, with consumers calling for more flexible and affordable options for accessing content. Disney’s decision to prioritize its direct-to-consumer platforms over traditional channels has also sparked frustration among distributors. In addition to ESPN networks and ABC-owned stations, several other Disney-branded channels went dark on DirecTV during the outage, affecting a large number of subscribers. The standoff highlights the challenges facing the media industry as it navigates the evolving landscape of content distribution.
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DirecTV loses ESPN networks, ABC, and Disney channels during a major sports night
