05/09/2024  Disney, DirecTV battle to reshape TV bundling

Business


What began as routine haggling over the rates satellite TV provider DirecTV would pay to distribute Walt Disney's (DIS.N) television networks is turning into a referendum on the future of bundled programming, executives and experts said.

DirecTV's current public battle with Disney has led to 11 million DirecTV customers losing access to ESPN in the middle of the U.S. Open tennis tournament and a week before the New York Jets are scheduled to meet the San Francisco 49ers on "Monday Night Football." The dispute is taking place against the backdrop of a competing plan by big media companies Disney, Fox (FOXA.O) and Warner Bros Discovery (WBD.O) to launch a streaming video joint venture devoted to sports, called Venu Sports.



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