Disney scores a victory in DirecTV carriage fee battle

The news: Disney and DirecTV have reached a new carriage fee agreement, ending a two-week blackout of channels including ABC and ESPN that affected high-profile events like the NFL season kickoff and the second presidential debate.

Like Disney’s post-blackout deal with Charter Spectrum last year, DirecTV will now offer access to Disney+ and Hulu for subscribers of certain satellite plans, tipping the long-term scales for subscriptions in Disney’s favor.

Zoom out: Disney repeated the carriage fee playbook it established during last year’s clash with Charter Spectrum, but DirecTV initially took a different approach that hinted at a lengthier conflict.