Disney and satellite provider DirectTV have reached a new agreement, ending a two-week standoff during which Disney’s channels were unavailable to more than 11 million subscribers.
Signed on Saturday, the ink is still drying on a first-of-its-kind carriage deal that will let DirecTV offer genre-specific packages of Disney content to its users, including a kids & family one. This was one of the key issues at stake during negotiations between the companies, and DirecTV’s chief content officer Rob Thurn penned an open letter earlier this month calling for more flexible and affordable bundles to help DirecTV stay competitive in the market.
Under the new deal, Disney’s streaming suite (Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+) will come bundled for free in select DirecTV packages, and the service provider has also acquired the rights to distribute ESPN’s upcoming DTC platform at no cost to its subscribers when it launches next year.
As soon as the new deal was signed, DirecTV restored all ABC-owned TV channels, ESPN networks and Disney-branded channels in time for viewers to enjoy this weekend’s NCAA football games and last night’s Emmy Awards ceremony.