Disney, DirecTV end blackouts; working on new multi-year deal for carrying channels

A view of DirecTV satellite dishes at AT&T Los Angeles Broadcast Center in Culver City, California, on Jan. 31, 2020. Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times/TNS

DirecTV customers can once again watch Disney, ESPN and ABC-owned stations.

DirecTV and Disney on Saturday announced an agreement in principle to end their carriage dispute.

DirecTV said it is working to finalize a new multi-year contract.

All channels were immediately restored to DirecTV satellite, streaming and U-verse customers, according to the company.

Disney-owned channels had been off DirecTV since the evening of Sept. 1, according to The Associated Press.

ABC-owned stations, ESPN networks, Disney-branded channels, Freeform, FX networks and the National Geographic channels are back for DirecTV customers.

DirecTV also said that Disney’s streaming services — Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ — will be included in select DirecTV packages under a wholesale agreement and also be made available on an à la carte basis.

And DirecTV will have the rights to distribute Disney’s upcoming ESPN flagship direct-to-consumer service upon its launch at no additional cost to DirecTV customers.

“Through this first-of-its-kind collaboration, DIRECTV and Disney are giving customers the ability to tailor their video experience through more flexible options,” the companies said in a joint statement.