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Disney and DirecTV’s dispute is set to disrupt Alabama’s Week 2 game for fans hoping to catch the action on television.
Alabama takes on South Florida in Week 2 of the 2024 college football season. The Crimson Tide started the new era under Kalen DeBoer on a wonderful note, defeating Western Kentucky 62-0. However, fans across the country may face some difficulty watching their next game.
Disney and DirecTV are currently locked in dispute on the terms of their media contract, which has left ESPN and other Disney-owned networks dark on cable TV. This means subscribers won't have access to Alabama's game this weekend through the PayTV service.
Nonetheless, there's no cause for alarm as there are other options to access ESPN and catch up on the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa on Saturday. These options include streaming services like Fubo, Dish, Sling, Hulu and YouTube TV. The game will also be available on ESPN+.
These options will allow fans to watch Alabama's game until Disney and DirecTV resolve their dispute.
DirecTV writes conference commissioners
DirecTV took a bold move to try and resolve its ongoing dispute with Disney on Tuesday by directly engaging collegiate athletic conferences. They sent letters to the ACC, Big 12, and SEC commissioners, imploring them to intervene and assist in brokering a resolution.
With the stakes high and key sports broadcasts hanging in the balance, DirecTV's appeal underscores the urgency of the situation as it seeks support from some of the most influential voices in college athletics. The cable TV provider claims it’s standing up for the fans:
“We’re asking you to please work with your Chancellors and Presidents, and your elected officials to empower fans and push for flexibility in the marketplace,” DirecTV requested in its letter to the commissioners.
"This will help guarantee the public, whose taxes and tuitions help pay for the public universities in your conference, access to the content they love and deserve,” the letter added.
Disney blames DirecTV for the blackout
On its part, Disney is blaming DirecTV for the blackout of its channels on the cable network. Despite the decline in Pay TV subscribers over the years, the network still boasts millions of customers across the country (via The Walt Disney Company):
“DirecTV chose to deny millions of subscribers access to our content just as we head into the final week of the US Open and gear up for college football and the opening of the NFL season,” Disney said in its statement.
“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,” Disney added.
A quick resolution doesn’t appear to be in sight after DirecTV CFO Ray Carpenter said the company would not waver on its negotiating stance. Carpenter's declaration signaled DirecTV's resolute stance, amid mounting pressure to reach an agreement.
