With just days before Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump squaring off in their first debate, a fight between DirecTV and the Walt Disney Company could derail viewing for millions.
Over 11 million households could potentially be blacked out from watching the September 10 presidential debate due to a carriage dispute between the Walt Disney Company, which owns ABC, and DirecTV, which is owned by AT&T.
“While the two sides are technically still talking since their contract expired on September 1 and channels like ABC, the U.S. Open, and college football showing ESPN, FX, Disney Jr, and a dozen others suddenly went to black, there are no active discussions going on today, sources tell us,” Deadline reported.
(Video Credit: CBS News)
DirecTV CEO Ray Carpenter did not offer any optimistic hopes for a deal before Harris and Trump take the debate stage.
“We’re not playing a short-term game,” he reportedly said on a September 3 Wall Street conference call. “We need something that is going to work for the long-term sustainability of our video customers. The resolve is there”
The debate, which will air from the National Constitutional Center in Philadelphia and does not feature a live audience, may still be seen on other platforms but the estimated 11.3 million DirecTV subscribers across the nation will not be able to access the event on Disney-owned channels, including ABC.
The debate, moderated by David Muir and Linsey Davis, could potentially be “the most watched debate to date,” according to Forbes which noted that the first presidential debate “is the most watched.”
“The possibility this could be the only debate between Harris and Trump” is also a factor driving up viewership, the outlet suggested.
“This is an existential threat to their business as linear TV fall is dying. I say it’s 50/50 if they can make a deal by the time of the debate, and I doubt it’s a big factor in getting to that deal,” a Hollywood political operative told Deadline referring to Disney leadership.
Others think the blackout will not be much of a game-changer in the big-picture view.
“Given the range of outlets that are likely to carry the debate, I doubt that this blackout will greatly affect the reach of the audience,” author Alan Schroeder told Deadline. “Anyone who wants to watch the debate will have plenty of options beyond Disney’s portfolio of channels.”
“I also expect a higher rating for Harris-Trump than for Biden-Trump. Voters traditionally pay more attention to the election after Labor Day, so the June debate hit at a moment when many people weren’t keyed into the campaign,” he noted. “Furthermore, I think Harris is likely to attract more viewers simply because she is more of a novelty than Biden was. And it’s quite possible this is the only debate these two candidates take part in this cycle, which further incentivizes the audience to watch.”
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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida. Powers also contributes to BizPac Review.
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