DirecTV Files FCC Complaint Accusing Disney of Negotiating in Bad Faith as Blackout of ESPN, ABC Drags On
variety.comTodd Spangler NY Digital Editor The acrimony between DirecTV and Disney in their contract fight is getting more heated, as the blackout of Disney-owned networks on DirecTV is all but certain to extend into a second week.
On Saturday, DirecTV filed a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission, alleging Disney has failed to negotiate in good faith.
DirecTV asserted that Disney has violated the FCC’s good-faith mandates by predicating any licensing agreement on DirecTV’s waiving any legal claims on Disney’s “anticompetitive actions,” including its ongoing packaging and minimum penetration demands.
Disney and DirecTV failed to reach an agreement before the Sept. 1 expiration of their prior distribution agreement, resulting in ESPN, ABC, FX, SEC Network, ACC Network, Disney Channel, NatGeo, Freeform and the rest of Disney’s networks getting pulled from the DirecTV lineup.
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