DirecTV And Disney have managed to agree a new deal, bringing about an end to a high-profile dispute. In addition, the channels that were removed at the start of the month have been immediately restored to DirecTV, DirecTV Stream and U-verse customers.
As a reminder, the disagreement between DirecTV and Disney was not just about the price, but also what a DirecTV live TV package might look like in the future. According to the ‘agreement in principle’ announcement today, the new deal “provides greater choice, value, and flexibility to their mutual customers.”
Specifically, DirecTV and Disney have now agreed on the following “core points.”
- Continued carriage at market-based terms of Disney’s entertainment, sports and news programming from its comprehensive linear portfolio, which includes the ABC Owned Television Stations, the ESPN networks, the Disney-branded channels, Freeform, the FX networks and the National Geographic channels.
- The opportunity to offer multiple genre-specific options — sports, entertainment, kids & family — inclusive of Disney’s linear networks along with Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+.
- Disney’s direct-to-consumer streaming services (Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+) to be included in select DIRECTV packages under a wholesale agreement, and also to be made available on an a la carte basis.
- The rights to distribute Disney’s upcoming ESPN flagship direct-to-consumer service upon its launch at no additional cost to DIRECTV customers.
While the agreement seems to include the ability to provide Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ in select DirecTV packages, and the ability to distribute Disney’s upcoming ESPN direct-to-consumer service (at no additional cost to customers), what might be most notable here is the ability to “offer multiple genre-specific options,” including sports.
This was one of the main changes sought by DirecTV and suggests that DirecTV may soon be able to offer something similar to, or at least competitive with, Venu Sports.
“Through this first-of-its-kind collaboration, DirecTV and Disney are giving customers the ability to tailor their video experience through more flexible options. DirecTV and Disney have a long-standing history of connecting consumers to the best entertainment, and this agreement furthers that commitment by recognizing both the tremendous value of Disney’s content and the evolving preferences of DirecTV’s customers. We’d like to thank all affected viewers for their patience and are pleased to restore Disney’s entire portfolio of networks in time for college football and the Emmy Awards this weekend,” DirecTV and Disney said in a joint statement.
As this is an ‘agreement in principle,’ it looks like we will have to wait a little longer for firm specifics on what, and won’t, be available through DirecTV, and what exactly DirecTV’s live TV packages are likely to look like in the future.
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