Disney restores all channels to DirecTV customers after negotiating new licensing agreement

DirecTV announced early this month that Disney pulled its programming after failed to reach another licensing agreement with DirecTV Stream. One of the major issues that prevented the two companies from reaching a new agreement was related to Disney’s upcoming Venu Sports streaming service.

Today, DirecTV confirmed that all Disney’s channels have been restored to DirecTV satellite, streaming, and U-verse customers. According to DirecTV, the new agreement between the two companies includes Disney’s full portfolio of networks and direct-to-consumer services, genre-specific options, as well as ESPN’s offering when it launches in 2025.

Even though Disney’s full linear suite of networks has been restored to DirecTV customers, the negotiations continue. Up until now, the two companies have agreed upon several key 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.

It’s unlikely that something bad will happen while both parties work to finalize the new, multi-year contract, although additional benefits for DirecTV customers might appear once the new licensing agreement is signed.

Previously, Disney demanded that in order to reach a new licensing agreement or to extend access to its programming, DirecTV must waive all claims that Disney’s behavior is anti-competitive. This is a direct consequence of the preliminary injunction against Disney’s Venu Sports streaming service granted by Judge Garnett last month.

As a result, DirecTV filed a complaint with FCC last weekend, which states that Disney has failed to negotiate in good faith. The following day, Disney requested a unique exception to return ABC-only for one night because the channel was hosting the 2024 Presidential Debate.



However, DirecTV refused because returning only Disney’s ABC stations for a limited 3-hour window “will cause customer confusion among those who would briefly see the debate only to lose the channel again shortly after.”

DirecTV counteroffered by asking Disney to return ABC in time for the 2024 Presidential Debate if Disney is also willing to return all its channels across platforms through the end of Monday Night Football 11:59 pm ET on Monday, September 16.

Although Disney rejected the temporary return of their channels until September 16, DirecTV customers still had access to the Presidential Debate live across other major broadcast networks such as CBS, NBS, FOX, and many others.