ESPN has gone off the air on DirecTV for the second year in a row during the U.S. Open tennis tournament and the first full weekend of college football. The blackout occurred after Disney and DirecTV failed to reach a new carriage agreement. This left sports fans and the U.S. Tennis Association disappointed, with social media being used to express displeasure. The blackout happened before the U.S. Open match between Frances Tiafoe and Alexei Popyrin, as well as the college football game between LSU and USC.
Last year, Disney and Spectrum were involved in a similar deadlock, with an agreement being reached just hours before the first Monday night NFL game of the season. DirecTV claims that Disney refused to be accountable to consumers and distribution partners, and that they are prioritizing profit over providing reasonable pricing for viewers.
Disney and ESPN have urged DirecTV to finalize a deal, stating that they are open to offering flexibility but will not undervalue their portfolio of television channels and programs. The impasse highlights ongoing conflicts between networks and distributors, with distributors and subscribers pushing for a shift towards a la carte channel purchasing and frustration over premium content appearing on direct-to-consumer platforms first. The blackout also affected other Disney-owned channels such as Freeform, FX, and National Geographic on DirecTV.
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