Picking Tennessee vs NC State | Nico Iamaleava, Josh Heupel vs Grayson McCall, Dave Doeren | 09.02.24
As DirecTV and Disney continue negotiations over a new contract, college football fans will be left scrambling for options to watch Week 2 games across the ESPN network.
Nearly 20 college football games are scheduled on an ESPN network on Saturday. Currently, DirecTV subscribers do not have access to ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNews, SEC Network and ACC Network. Some customers have complained about access to ABC, too.
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Over 11 millionDirecTVsubscribers will be left without access to games as of Saturday morning. It’s the second consecutive college football season Disney has been in a stalemate with a broadcasting company. The entertainment company was in adisputewithCharter Spectruma year ago that lasted more than a week.
Disney’s channels went dark on Sunday before USC and LSU’s top-25 matchup in Las Vegas. The carriage dispute also left DirecTV customers without access to Boston College’s win at Florida State on Monday night.
According toThe Wall Street Journal,the disputecentersaround an increase in fees that Disney is looking for to carry popular channels plus DirecTV’s desire to have more flexibility in how it sells those channels to customers.
Week 1 of the NFL season kicks off this weekend, which could bring the two sides together. ESPN is scheduled for Monday Night Football, featuring theNew York JetsatSan Francisco 49ers, on ESPN and ABC in under 60 hours. The “ManningCast” with Peyton and Eli Manning will also be broadcast on ESPN2 and ESPN+. That date will be a driving factor in the two sides reaching an agreement.
DirecTV sent letters to every college football commissioner this week, writing that “Disney’s unwillingness to evolve will significantly accelerate the decline of Pay TV, making it harder and more expensive for your fans to watch the teams they love.”
“DirecTV continues to misrepresent the facts around our ongoing negotiations,” Disney Entertainment co-chairmen Dana Walden and Alan Bergman and ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro said in a statement this week. “Our priority is to reach a marketplace deal that serves the needs of DirecTV and their customers while also recognizing the value of our top-quality content and the significant investment required to create and acquire it.”
Nearly 20 games are set to be on an ESPN network for Week 2 of college football. The problems for DirecTV subscribers do not stop there, however, as College GameDay kicks off at 9 a.m. ET on ESPN live from Ann Arbor.
Here is every college football game on a Disney/ESPN channel:
Noon ET
- Arkansas at Oklahoma State (ABC, ESPN+)
- No. 17 Kansas State at Tulane (ESPN)
- No. 23 Georgia Tech at Syracuse (ACC Network)
- Pitt at Cincinnati (ESPN 2)
- Troy at Memphis (ESPNU)
12:45 p.m. ET
3:30 p.m. ET
- California at Auburn (ESPN2)
- South Carolina at Kentucky (ABC, ESPN+)
- Charlotte at North Carolina (ACC Network)
4 p.m. ET
- UTSA at Texas State (ESPNU)
4:15 p.m. ET
- Middle Tennessee at Ole Miss (SEC Network)
7 p.m. ET
- USF at Alabama (ESPN)
- Virginia at Wake Forest (ESPN2)
7:30 p.m. ET
- Tennessee at NC State (ABC, ESPN+)
- Alcorn State at Vanderbilt (ESPNU)
7:45 p.m. ET
8 p.m. ET
- Appalachian State at Clemson (ACC Network)
10:15 p.m. ET
- Liberty at New Mexico State (ESPN2)
10:30 p.m. ET
- Mississippi State at Arizona State (ESPN)
How can you watch college football games on ABC, ESPN?
Last year, DisneyurgedSpectrum customers to cut the cord and switch toHulu + Live TV. If the dispute with DirecTV and ESPN carries on, the entertainment giant could make a similar push.
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And Sling, typically priced at $40 for the first month, is offering a $20 sale to get fans on the platform. The company is leaning into the DirecTV and Disney dispute, too.
DirecTV is also offering customers $20 credits, as a consolation. Subscribers canapply for the crediton an upcoming bill.
FAQs
How can I still watch ESPN with the Disney-DirecTV blackout? If you don't have cable access to ESPN right now, you can get instant access to ESPN content through a variety of services including Hulu + Live TV, Fubo, and Sling. How many channels are affected by the Disney-DirecTV blackout?
What channels are affected by DirecTV dispute? ›
DirecTV, which had 11 million subscribers by the end of 2023, enters its second week without ESPN, ABC, the Disney Channel, FX and other Disney-owned networks and channels being available to its customers. The blacking out of the channels stems from the cable service's five-year contract with Disney ending on Sept. 1.
What is happening with DirecTV and Disney? ›
Millions of DirecTV customers lost Disney networks, including pay-TV networks like ESPN and FX, last week amid a battle over contract bundling and fees. Disney and DirecTV are not likely to reach a deal in time for “Monday Night Football” according to people familiar with the matter.
How to watch college football on Disney? ›
If you want to watch upcoming college football and NFL action on ESPN and its networks, you have some options: ESPN+: You can get a standalone subscription to the streaming service for $10.99 monthly. You can also get it as part of a Disney bundle of services including Disney+ and Hulu, starting at $14.99 monthly.
How to watch ESPN through Disney? ›
To complete the ESPN+ set up, tap Login to ESPN+ from the Disney+ confirmation screen or visit plus.espn.com/activate. Log in using the same email address and password you used for Disney+. If you already have an existing ESPN+ account associated with your email, enter your password and log in.
How to watch college football without ESPN? ›
If you don't have cable TV that includes ESPN, one of the most cost-effective ways to stream college football this season is through a subscription to Sling TV.
Is DIRECTV STREAM losing ESPN? ›
In its statement Sunday, DirecTV said that "millions of DirecTV, DirecTV Stream, and U-verse customers" lost access to Disney programming channels. That programming includes include Disney Plus, ESPN, ABC, Hulu, Freeform and FX. According to Statista, DirecTV had 11.3 million subscribers in the fourth quarter of 2023.
Why can't I watch ESPN on DirecTV? ›
DirecTV customers were left in the dark earlier this month after Disney pulled its channels from the television provider following a prolonged contract dispute. That meant more than 11 million DirecTV subscribers were left without Disney-owned channels like ABC and ESPN.
What channel is Disney on DirecTV? ›
Disney Channel Channel 290 HD Live on DIRECTV TV.
Is DirecTV being discontinued? ›
DIRECTV NOW service wasn't discontinued, but the name changed to AT&T TV NOW in 2018. Similarly, AT&T TV NOW and AT&T TV were rebranded to DIRECTV STREAM in 2021. The mobile app was reintroduced as the DIRECTV STREAM app.
DirecTV Stream no longer offers ESPN and ABC due to an ongoing dispute with Disney, but for customers looking for streaming alternatives, Fubo, Sling TV and Hulu + Live TV are some of the streamers that provide instant access to ABC, ESPN and other channels.
Why has Disney stopped working on my TV? ›
You can try uninstalling and reinstalling the Disney+ app to ensure you have the latest version downloaded. Once the updated app is reinstalled, reset all of your connections before trying to stream. Note that reinstalling the Disney+ app will remove all downloaded content from your device.
How to watch college football on DirecTV? ›
Fubo is one of several streaming options DirecTV customers may consider to watch college football. The base package carries ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and the ACC Network, though fans hoping to watch college football games on the SEC Network, ESPNU or ESPNews will have to pay extra for an "Elite" package.
Why is ABC blocked on DirecTV? ›
The company failed to reach an agreement with Disney before the Sept. 1 expiration of their prior distribution agreement, resulting in ESPN, ABC, SEC Network, Disney Channel, NatGeo, Freeform and the rest of Disney's networks getting pulled from the DirecTV lineup.
What channels are in dispute with DirecTV? ›
Due to a contract dispute between DirecTV and Disney, Disney pulled most of its programming from DirecTV servers on September 1, since leaving DirecTV owners without channels like ESPN, ESPN2, ACC Network, SEC Network, and yes, ABC.
How can DirecTV customers watch ESPN? ›
DIRECTV subscribers can watch live ESPN content, select ESPN3 streaming content, and ESPN On Demand content with the interactive ESPN app. Access the ESPN sports app on your TV: Tune to any ESPN channel (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN NEWS, ESPNU, ESPN Deportes, Longhorn Network, & SEC Network).
Why is ESPN no longer on DirecTV? ›
The company failed to reach an agreement with Disney before the Sept. 1 expiration of their prior distribution agreement, resulting in ESPN, ABC, SEC Network, Disney Channel, NatGeo, Freeform and the rest of Disney's networks getting pulled from the DirecTV lineup.
How do I dispute an ESPN Plus charge? ›
Contact your bank or credit card company: If you are unable to get a refund from ESPN+ or if you have any issues with the refund process, you should contact your bank or credit card company. Explain the situation and ask them to dispute the charge.
Can I get ESPN separately? ›
You can get an ESPN+ subscription for $10.99 per month, or save over 15% with an ESPN+ Annual Plan at $109.99 per year. You can also bundle ESPN+ (With Ads) with Disney+ (With Ads) and Hulu (With Ads) for $14.99 per month. Learn more at disneyplus.com/priceinfo. ESPN+ is currently $10.99/mo. or $109.99/yr.
