Carriage fights lead to strange bedfellows.
DirecTV, which is locked in a dispute with Disney over a new deal with ESPN, ABC and other broadcasters, said it would give customers a $30 credit for two competing streaming TV services – Sling from longtime satellite rival Dish Network and Fubo.
Disney and DirecTV were unable to reach an agreement before the previous agreement expired on September 1, resulting in ESPN, ABC, Disney Channel, NatGeo, Freeform and the rest of the Disney networks being removed from DirecTV’s offerings.
DirecTV’s new offer signals that the two sides are nowhere near a relaxed stance. DirecTV is giving customers who sign up for Fubo (via fubotv.com/deal) a $30 credit toward a seven-day free trial of Fubo on either the Pro ($80/month) or Elite plans with Sports Plus ($100/month) – with $30 off the first month after that. In addition, DirecTV is giving Fubo users a $30 credit.
DirecTV’s offer for new Sling subscribers (via sling.com/directv) includes a $10 discount on the first month of Sling Orange service (normally $40/month), which includes ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, Disney Channel, Freeform and other Disney networks; and DirecTV will provide a $30 credit to cover the remaining cost.
“Unfortunately, Disney is at it again, this time targeting DirecTV customers, so we’re giving you more ways to watch this weekend’s college football games, Monday Night Football and the U.S. Open – at our expense,” DirecTV said in a blog post announcing the deals.
DirecTV customers can visit tvpromise.com for more information on redeeming the $30 credit starting Saturday, September 7. Once redeemed, the credit will be applied to active DirecTV accounts within two months.
“This is a small way to help you stay connected to your sports and entertainment while we work with Disney on a new agreement,” the satellite and streaming TV provider said in the blog post.
Separately, Disney-owned Hulu announced a new promotion on Friday that will give $30 credit to new subscribers who sign up for a Hulu + Live TV subscription by Sept. 11. The offer is available at hulu.com/live-tv. The Hulu + Live TV subscription gives viewers more than 95 TV channels — including ESPN — as well as access to Hulu’s entire on-demand streaming library.
Earlier Friday, Disney launched a campaign to remind DirecTV customers that they have “numerous options” to receive ABC, ESPN and other channels from competing providers such as Fubo and Sling.
