As the highly anticipated college football matchup between LSU and USC drew near on Sunday night, DirecTV subscribers experienced a significant disruption when Disney abruptly removed all its programming channels from the satellite service. The blackout, which began around 4 p.m. PT (7 p.m. ET) on September 1, affected major channels including ESPN, ABC, Hulu, Freeform, and FX. This sudden removal of channels left many DirecTV users unable to watch the game or access their favorite Disney-owned shows and movies, causing widespread frustration.
The disruption appears to be the result of a heated dispute between Disney and DirecTV over their licensing agreement. Disney has stated it will not enter into any agreement that it believes undervalues its extensive portfolio of television channels and programming. The conflict has been further complicated by a class-action antitrust lawsuit against Disney, with DirecTV accusing the company of trying to avoid legal accountability for its alleged anti-competitive practices. DirecTV has expressed its refusal to accept Disney’s demands to forego claims of such behavior, intensifying the standoff.
The blackout has had immediate and noticeable effects. Users on Reddit reported the loss of US Open tennis coverage due to ESPN’s removal, and some DirecTV customers flying with JetBlue also faced disruptions, as JetBlue uses DirecTV for in-flight entertainment. DirecTV’s statement revealed that “millions of DirecTV, DirecTV Stream, and U-verse customers” have been impacted by the loss of Disney programming. With DirecTV serving approximately 11.3 million subscribers as of late 2023, the reach of this blackout is extensive.
This situation echoes last year’s similar dispute between Disney and Spectrum TV, which also resulted in a temporary blackout of Disney channels. That conflict took until September 11 to resolve, raising concerns that DirecTV subscribers might face a prolonged period without their Disney channels. As the first Monday Night Football game of the season approaches on September 9, there is no clear indication of when the channels will return.
In the interim, DirecTV subscribers looking for access to Disney channels have several alternative options. Streaming services such as YouTube TV, Hulu Plus Live TV, and Fubo offer access to many of the channels affected by the blackout. Each service provides trial periods, allowing users to bridge the gap while awaiting a resolution. Additionally, DirecTV is offering potential credits as compensation for the inconvenience caused by the outage. Affected customers can check their eligibility for credits by visiting DirecTV’s TV Promise page, where they can enter their information and follow the steps to claim any available compensation.