DirecTV is now paying customers to subscribe to competitors as Disney battle escalates

Jordan Valinsky, CNN

New York (CNN) — DirecTV wants its customers to instrumentality pinch nan work during an progressively nasty conflict pinch Disney that threatens to achromatic retired tonight’s “Monday Night Football” game. So DirecTV developed an different strategy: It’s paying customers to subscribe to a rival.

DirecTV has struck deals pinch Sling, owned by rival outer supplier Dish Network, and Fubo to connection its customers credits and discounts to motion up for competing streaming services truthful group tin watch nan game, which is airing connected ABC and ESPN, 2 networks blacked retired connected its ain service.

Affected customers of DirecTV, DirecTV Stream and U-Verse tin get a free weeklong proceedings of Fubo for 2 of its packages that transportation ESPN and Disney networks and an further $30 disconnected nan first period of service. DirecTV is besides giving its customers a $30 in installments to motion up for Sling’s orangish tier that includes ESPN channels.

DirecTV said nan deals are a “small way” to thief customers while its conflict complete nan expired distribution statement pinch Disney stretches into a 2nd week. DirecTV is still offering a in installments to customers but has accrued it from $20 to $30.

On Sunday, DirecTV revenge a title pinch nan Federal Communications Commission alleging Disney did not discuss successful bully religion and signaling nan 2 sides aren’t adjacent successful reaching a deal.

In nan 10-page complaint, DirecTV claimed nan negotiations stalled because, “Disney insists connected bundling and penetration requirements that a national territory tribunal judge successful New York precocious recovered successful nan discourse of nan ‘Venu’ associated task to beryllium unlawful, anticompetitive, and ‘bad for consumers.’”

Last month, a national judge temporarily blocked nan motorboat of Venu Sports, a associated sports streaming task from Disney, Fox Corp. and Warner Bros. Discovery aft Fubo revenge a suit against nan media giants. (Warner Bros. Discovery is nan genitor institution of CNN.)

More than 11 cardinal subscribers person been affected by Disney pulling its ABC stations, ESPN and different networks from DirecTV’s lineup past week. The blackout besides comes up of nan upcoming statesmanlike statement connected ABC betwixt Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, arsenic good arsenic nan commencement of nan NFL and assemblage shot seasons.

“We proceed to discuss pinch DirecTV to reconstruct entree to our contented arsenic quickly arsenic possible,” a Disney spokesperson told CNN. “We impulse DirecTV to extremity creating diversions and alternatively prioritize their customers by finalizing a woody that would let their subscribers to watch our beardown upcoming lineup of sports, news and intermezo programming, starting pinch nan return of ‘Monday Night Football.’”

Still, nan blackout hasn’t stopped DirecTV’s plans to hike prices of DirecTV Stream and accepted outer services. Beginning successful October, monthly fees will summation betwixt $2 to $10 depending connected nan tier and work a customer has.