Walt Disney Co. and DirecTV have reached a brand new deal that can allow the entertainment giant to revive access to channels like ESPN and ABC to tens of millions of consumers.
DirecTV has agreed to pay “market rates” to hold the channels, the 2 firms said in a joint statement on Saturday. The satellite TV provider has secured the suitable to supply smaller channel packages to sports, entertainment and kids’s programming fans. DirecTV may also give you the option to supply its subscribers a brand new online version of ESPN at no additional cost after it launches next 12 months.
In an interview after the deal was announced, DirecTV CEO Bill Morrow said the corporate still needs to achieve agreements with other programming providers to supply the smaller channel packages. The launch of those products is not going to occur until next 12 months, he said. He declined to comment on possible pricing, but said sports fans, for instance, could buy only the channels they do not watch and never need to pay for those they do not.
“We’re offering consumers a different choice than in the past,” he said. “We know they want to be a little more selective.”
On September 1, roughly 11 million DirecTV subscribers lost access to Disney-owned networks since the two firms couldn’t agree on a brand new distribution agreement.
DirecTV positioned the fight as a battle for the long run of television. The satellite TV operator desired to be free of contractual terms that required it to pay for a big portion of subscribers, no matter whether or not they watched this system or not, and to give you the option to supply smaller, cheaper channel packages.
The company, owned by AT&T Inc. and TPG, offered its subscribers a $20 refund because of the lack of the channels.
