Millions of DirecTV customers have been blocked from accessing Walt Disney Co.’s networks since Sunday night, with ESPN and other channels pulled during the U.S. Open tennis tournament and as the college football season is kicking off.
DirecTV says that its customers can get a $20 credit for the blackout, but they’ll have to take a few steps to qualify.
The dispute, which focuses on the so-called carriage fees that DirecTV pays Disney to broadcast its programming, prompted Disney to pull its channels on Sunday night, with the blackout happening 10 minutes before the start of the football game between No. 13 Louisiana State University and No. 23 University of Southern California.
DirecTV is arguing that Disney is “taking an anti-consumer approach” by demanding that a new deal include bundled services. Instead, the cable and satellite provider wants customers to be able to pick and choose their channels in an a la carte approach.
Disney, meanwhile, claims that such a deal would shortchange the value of its networks. “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 Dana Walden and Alan Bergman, co-chairmen of Disney Entertainment; and Jimmy Pitaro, chairman of ESPN, in a joint statement.
How to get a $20 credit from DirecTV
DirecTV says that its subscribers should go to https://www.directv.com/tvpromise/ for the credit.
“We’re pursuing every avenue to get your station back. To thank you for your patience, until the situation is resolved, we’re offering you a bill credit,” DirecTV notes.
You’ll have to enter your TV service, such as DirecTV, DirecTV Stream or U-verse, and your zip code.
Next, the site will prompt you to “Explore Bill Credits.” Customers will need to click on whether they subscribe via “DirecTV via satellite” or “DirecTV via Internet.” You’ll then be taken to another page where you can enter the email address on file for your account.
The $20 credit will be applied in up to two billing cycles, according to the website.
How long will the blackout last?
It’s unclear at this point, although such disputes have become fairly common in recent years. Some providers like DirecTV are seeking more control over the channels they can offer customers, especially as more consumers are cutting the cord and opting for streaming-only services such as Netflix.
Historically, such blackouts typically can stretch from a few days to several weeks, such as the 10-day carriage dispute between Fox Corp. and Dish Network from Sept. 26, 2019 until Oct. 6, 2019, according to S&P Global. But occasionally they can stretch for years, such as a dispute between The Weather Channel and Verizon that caused a 1,567-day blackout for Verizon customers, S&P Global noted.
For its part, DirecTV says on its credit site that it’s likely the dispute will be resolved before “your favorite team” plays a Monday night game.
“If you’re concerned about possibly missing one of your favorite teams in the next few weeks, here’s the good news,” DirecTV said. “FOX, CBS, NBC and Amazon Prime Video televise most of the NFL action, while ESPN/ABC has one game per week.”
It added, “Chances are your favorite team won’t play Monday night until later in the season after we’ve had plenty of time to come to a new agreement.”
Aimee Picchi is the associate managing editor for CBS MoneyWatch, where she covers business and personal finance. She previously worked at Bloomberg News and has written for national news outlets including USA Today and Consumer Reports.
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