DIRECTV vs. Disney: Why Did DIRECTV Reject Disney’s Debate Offer?

By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man –Follow me on X.
Former editor of Satellite DIRECT magazine. Reported on DIRECTV for 30 years.

TV Answer Man, I don’t understand why DIRECTV didn’t let ABC show the debate last night when Disney said it could. Make it make sense! I thought that DIRECTV wanted ABC and all the other channels back on. Three hours is better than nothing, right? — Steve, Lexington.

Steve, Disney yesterday issued a statement saying it would provide ABC’s broadcast of last night’s Trump-Harris debate to DIRECTV for free despite the ongoing blackout of the Disney channels. However, DIRECTV quicky responded publicly by rejecting the offer.

Why?

The offer would benefit Disney more than DIRECTV. The debate was set to air on multiple channels besides ABC so it’s not like DIRECTV’s subscribers couldn’t watch it without ABC. But the blackout of ABC meant that DIRECTV’s 11 million subscribers could not watch that channel which would hurt the network’s ratings and advertising efforts.

DIRECTV knew the offer’s benefit was largely one-sided so it countered with a request to air all Disney channels until next Monday at 11:59 p.m. ET while negotiations continued. Disney rejected that demand because it would benefit DIRECTV more than Disney, and so the ABC feed would not air on DIRECTV.

You could argue that DIRECTV could have easily just taken the ABC feed, even for just three hours, to satisfy subscribers who would prefer to watch the debate on that network. But in a carriage negotiation, a company is not inclined to help the other unless it gets something back. It’s all part of the game. And putting ABC’s broadcast on DIRECTV would have helped Disney.

Steve, hope that helps. Happy viewing and stay safe!

The TV Answer Man is veteran journalist Phillip Swann who has covered the TV technology scene for more than three decades. He will report on the latest news and answer your questions regarding new devices and services that are changing the way you watch television. See the bio for Phillip Swann here.

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