DirecTV has officially filed a complaint against Disney with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), alleging bad faith in their ongoing carriage agreement negotiations. This dispute has resulted in a blackout of Disney channels, including ESPN and ABC, affecting 11.3 million DirecTV subscribers. The blackout, which began on September 1, has already caused subscribers to miss major sports events like college football games and the U.S. Open tennis finals, the Minit reported.
The complaint details DirecTV’s grievances, particularly Disney’s demands for DirecTV to waive any legal claims related to anticompetitive actions. DirecTV argues that this violates the FCC’s good faith negotiation mandates. As the blackout persists, upcoming high-profile broadcasts like NFL games and a presidential debate on ABC hang in the balance, with DirecTV pushing for the ability to offer consumers more tailored and cost-effective programming bundles.
