Walt Disney Co. (NYSE:DIS) and pay-TV provider, DirecTV, owned by AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) and TPG Capital are currently in contract renewal talks that could reshape the pay-TV landscape.
What Happened: DirecTV intends to change the long-standing contract terms that require cable and satellite TV distributors to bill customers for channels like ESPN, regardless of whether they view it or not, reported Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the discussion.
The pay-TV provider plans to offer smaller, genre-specific channel packages, such as kids' programming, movies, news, local stations, sports, or Spanish language.
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Disney is reportedly open to offering sports-specific packages to other distributors and is willing to negotiate lower minimum subscriber guarantees.
If an agreement is not reached, channels such as ABC and ESPN may be blacked out starting Sept. 1, the report noted.
Last week in a blog post, Rob Thun, chief content officer at DirecTV, hinted that consumers are seeking more flexibility and lower prices, similar to streaming providers like Netflix.
"Pay-TV subscribers have been declining because of our collective failure to evolve to meet consumer preferences," he stated.
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Why It Matters: DirecTV's negotiations with Disney come on the heels of its transformation into a streaming service.
Earlier this month, it was reported that to retain customers who are increasingly opting for streaming services, DirecTV has decided to eliminate the need for a satellite dish to access its content.
The PayTV provider has also raised concerns. In June National Football League lost a jury trial where the league and DirecTV were accused of conspiring to inflate the cost of subscriptions.
Meanwhile, Disney has reported a strong third-quarter earnings. For the first time, the company's combined streaming business including Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ turned a profit.
Photo Courtesy: Direct TV Website
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迪士尼公司（NYSE:DIS）和付费电视提供商DirecTV，由AT&T Inc.（NYSE:T）和TPG Capital拥有，在目前正在进行合同续签谈判，这可能重塑付费电视行业格局。
《彭博社》援引知情人士的报道称，DirecTV打算改变长期合同条款，要求有线和卫星电视分发商向客户收取类似ESPN等频道的费用，无论他们是否观看。
该付费电视提供商计划提供更小的、按类型划分的频道套餐，例如儿童节目、电影、新闻、本地电视台、体育或西班牙语频道。
报道称，苹果将在9月10日的活动上推出iPhone 16、手表和AirPods。
据报道，迪士尼对向其他分销商提供专门的体育频道包装方案持开放态度，并愿意就较低的最低订阅用户数保证进行协商。
如果双方不能达成协议，像ABC和ESPN这样的频道可能会从9月1日开始停播。
DirecTV的首席内容官Rob Thun在上周的一篇博文中暗示，消费者正在寻求更多灵活性和更低的价格，类似于奈飞等流媒体提供商。
他表示：“由于我们共同的无力满足消费者偏好的演变，付费电视的订阅用户数一直在下降。”
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为什么很重要：在DirecTV转变为流媒体服务后，它与迪士尼的谈判是及时的。
本月早些时候曾报道称，为了留住越来越多选择流媒体服务的用户，DirecTV决定不再需要卫星接收器来观看内容。
该付费电视供应商也引起了担忧。今年6月，全美橄榄球联盟输掉了一场陪审团审判，该联盟和DirecTV被指控串通涨价订阅费用。
与此同时，迪士尼报告了强劲的第三季度收益。公司的流媒体业务，包括Disney+、Hulu和ESPN+，首次实现了盈利。
照片：Direct TV官网
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