DirecTV subscribers found themselves in the dark Sunday night when Disney-owned channels, including ABC and ESPN, went off the air.
The timing was particularly bad given that several notable sporting events were taking place across those channels, including LSU vs. USC, Braves vs. Phillies, and the US Open tennis tournament.
The channels went off the air due to a failed contract renewal and any hopes of a speedy resolution between the two sides seemed dashed on Tuesday when DirecTV CFO Ray Carpenter said the company will not compromise its negotiating strategy even though Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season and Monday Night Football were quickly approaching.
That doesn’t mean they’re not trying to grease the wheels, however. On Tuesday, DirecTV sent letters to the commissioners of the ACC, Big 12, and SEC, asking for their help in resolving the conflict so that college football could return to their service by this weekend.
Letters were sent to ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips, Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark, and SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey.
In their on-going dispute with Disney/ESPN, DIRECTV sent a letter to commissioners of the power conferences seeking their help. Here’s the one that went to SEC commissioner Greg Sankey pic.twitter.com/el4cSajaF2
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) September 3, 2024
“Disney’s unwillingness to evolve will significantly accelerate the decline of Pay TV, making it harder and more expensive for your fans to watch the teams they love,” reads the letter. “We can smoothly transition to a new service model to give consumers more choice, control, and value to complement Disney and other programmers’ streaming offerings, delivering a new solution where everyone wins.
“We’re asking you to please work with your Chancellors and Presidents, and your elected officials to empower fans and push for flexibility in the marketplace. This will help guarantee the public, whose taxes and tuitions help pay for the public universities in your conference, access to the content they love and deserve.”
There’s a certain comical delight in DirecTV’s attempt to appeal to college football conference commissioners to put tradition and fairness ahead of money considering how those people have made such decisions over the last few decades. We’re sure they’ll get right on it.
Meanwhile, Sankey seems fine with his YouTube TV subscription and, as always, the fans will be the ones left to deal with the fallout.
