U.S. Open reacts to 'disappointing' Disney dispute with DirecTV that cut broadcast access for millions of viewers

Approximately 11 million DirecTV subscribers weren't able to watch tennis' biggest event, the U.S. Open, live on the air.

Millions of satellite subscribers were left without coverage access of one of tennis' biggest global events, as Disney's ESPN and ABC programming was pulled over the weekend from DirecTV amid an ongoing contract dispute between the entities.

Disney programming on ESPN and ABC went dark Sunday night, interrupting coverage of the U.S. Open tennis tournament and the evening's kickoff of college football coverage — including a game between the University of Southern California Trojans and Louisiana State University Tigers, a representative for DirecTV tells Entertainment Weekly.

In total, roughly 11 million subscribers were left without access to Disney's programming, per the New York Times, which further indicated that with the U.S. Open's programming slot reportedly blacked out for many customers during the evening event.

The U.S. Open's official channels released a statement addressing the dispute on Sunday, calling it "disappointing that fans and viewers around the country will not have the opportunity to watch the greatest athletes in our sport take part in the 2024 US Open due to an unresolved negotiation between DirecTV and Disney, resulting in the loss of access to ESPN. We are hopeful that this dispute can be resolved as quickly as possible."

The contract dispute with the distributor centered around a belief that the deal did not reflect the value of Disney’s content, according to a joint statement obtained Monday by EW.

"DirecTV chose to deny millions of subscribers access to our content just as we head into the final week of the US Open and gear up for college football and the opening of the NFL season. While we’re open to offering DirecTV flexibility and terms which we’ve extended to other distributors, we will not enter into an agreement that undervalues our portfolio of television channels and programs," said Disney Entertainment Co-Chairmen Dana Walden and Alan Bergman, as well as ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro, in the statement. "We invest significantly to deliver the No. 1 brands in entertainment, news and sports because that’s what our viewers expect and deserve. We urge DirecTV to do what’s in the best interest of their customers and finalize a deal that would immediately restore our programming."

DirecTV Chief Content Officer Rob Thun responded in a statement also obtained by EW, suggesting that the higher costs aren't justifiable as Disney continues to shift programming to its Disney+ platform.

“Disney is in the business of creating alternate realities, but this is the real world where we believe you earn your way and must answer for your own actions. They want to continue to chase maximum profits and dominant control at the expense of consumers — making it harder for them to select the shows and sports they want at a reasonable price," Thun said.

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He continued: "Consumer frustration is at an all-time high as Disney shifts its best producers, most innovative shows, top teams, conferences, and entire leagues to their direct-to-consumer services while making customers pay more than once for the same programming on multiple Disney platforms. Disney’s only magic is forcing prices to go up while simultaneously making its content disappear."

DirecTV additionally published internal numbers that the company said supported its stance on Disney's costs, with its report finding that "less than 40 percent of DirecTV customers watch Disney sports content for at least three hours on average per month," and that "only 10 percent of DirecTV customers watch a combined three hours or more on average per month" of kids and family programming.

Per a post on the Walt Disney Company website, Disney has "proposed a variety of flexible options" during negotiations that have taken place across the last several weeks, and the studio cited approximately 90% of DirecTV households that reportedly watched linear company programming in 2023.

"As recent years have shown, the one constant in the entertainment world is change. As television and the broader media ecosystem continue to evolve, Disney is the clear industry leader in storytelling, and in establishing flexible distribution models that meet the evolving preferences and needs of consumers," concluded the post.

According to sources familiar with Disney's positioning during the negotiations, the new rates the company proposed are in line with other industry standards.

Entertainment Weekly has reached out to representatives for Disney, ABC, ESPN, and DirecTV for more information.

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.