DirecTV has filed a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission accusing Disney of negotiating in bad faith as the satellite provider’s blackout of Disney-owned networks moves into its second week.
“Disney has violated the FCC’s good faith mandates by predicating any licensing agreement on DirecTV’s waiving any legal claims on Disney’s past, current or future anticompetitive actions, including its ongoing packaging and minimum penetration demands,” said the statement.
The blackout of Disney channels, including ESPN and ABC-owned stations in nine markets, started September 1. The blackout affects ABC-owned stations in Los Angeles; the San Francisco Bay Area; Fresno, California; New York; Chicago; Philadelphia; Houston; and Raleigh, North Carolina.
DirecTV has asked Disney for the option to provide consumers with cheaper and smaller bundles of programming, instead of larger ones that carry programming some viewers might not be interested in watching.
“We continue to negotiate with DirecTV to restore access to our content as quickly as possible,” a Disney spokesperson said. “We urge DirecTV to stop creating diversions and instead prioritize their customers by finalizing a deal that would allow their subscribers to watch our strong upcoming lineup of sports, news and entertainment programming, starting with the return of Monday Night Football.”
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