Disney Networks ABC, ESPN Go Dark on DirecTV as Carriage Talks Collapse, 11 Million Subscribers Impacted

Channels were pulled from the satellite cable provider late Sunday afternoon

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – AUGUST 11: A detail of the ESPN logo on a television camera prior to the start of the game between the Seattle Mariners and the New York Mets at T-Mobile Park on August 11, 2024 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images)

More than 11 million DirecTV subscribers looking to access programming from Disney’s linear networks ABC and ESPN will be left in the dark after the two parties failed to come to a new carriage agreement ahead of the current pact’s expiration on Sunday.

The programming blackout, which took place just moments before the USC vs. LSU college football game was set to air in Sunday primetime, comes ahead of a busy month for the House of Mouse, including the start of the college football and NFL seasons on ESPN and the telecasts of the first presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, as well as the 2024 Emmys, on ABC.

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