DirecTV, Disney fail to settle dispute in time for Jets-49ers ‘Monday Night Football’

There was a hope that Monday night’s big matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and New York Jets would be the impetus for DirecTV and Disney to finally settle their carriage dispute so that viewers could watch Monday Night Football on their service.

Alas, neither side blinked and many DirecTV viewers remain in the dark when it comes to NFL games and other sporting events on ABC and ESPN platforms.

🚨 No deal Disney & @DIRECTV $DIS #MNF @NFL blacked out for millions of consumers, bars, restaurant s and hotels

Game airing on @espn @ABC @ESPNPlus https://t.co/U1yMeg9Fwg

— Rich Greenfield, LightShed 🔦 (@RichLightShed) September 10, 2024

While DirecTV customers around the country can watch Monday Night Football on ABC, those in major cities where Disney owns the broadcast affiliates cannot. That includes New York and San Francisco.

Disney’s family of channels, which also include FX, have been dark on DirecTV’s satellite and streaming services since last weekend when they abruptly cut out. Since then the two sides have waged a PR war against one another but to no avail. DirecTV even filed an FCC complaint against Disney.

Awful Announcing’s Andrew Bucholtz recently plotted out four potential timeframes for when the dispute might be settled based on a desire to ensure customers can watch certain events. This would have been the second possible one.

Now, it seems like there isn’t a specific game that could inspire a deal until October 7, when the Kansas City Chiefs play on Monday Night Football. At that point, you’re pissing off Swifties, which you do at your own peril.

[Rich Greenfield, NY Post]