The Walt Disney Company reached an agreement with U.S. satellite TV distributor DirecTV for re-trans and carriage fees for the distribution of the ABC TV network and its cable channels, such as ESPN.
The pact ended a dispute during which the Disney’s suite of channels was blacked out to DirecTV’s 11.3 million subscribers.
The new terms call for fee increases, but offer flexibility to DirecTV to give consumers more options, including a-la-carte subscriptions to viewers who don’t want costly sports programming.
In a joint statement, the two companies said: “Through this first-of-its kind collaboration, DirecTV and Disney are giving customers the ability to tailor their video experience through more flexible options.”
Disputes such as these are becoming more frequent in recent years since both sides are trying to deal with cord-cutting and increasing streaming competition.
Service was restored on Saturday, September 14, in time for college football and the Emmy Awards ABC telecast.
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