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DirecTV is offering its customers a credit after losing ABC and ESPN. Here’s how to get it
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DirecTV is offering its customers a credit after losing ABC and ESPN. Here’s how to get it

DirecTV and Disney appear no closer to reaching an agreement after the entertainment giant pulled its channels, including ESPN, ABC, Hulu and more, from the satellite TV provider on Sunday. And now DirecTV is offering disgruntled customers compensation, but it won’t be automatic.

The company is offering $20 credits (or more in some cases) to DirecTV, DirecTV Stream and U-Verse customers. In total, 11 million subscribers were affected by the dispute, which led to the channels going offline at 7:20 p.m. ET on Sunday as fourth-round matches of the U.S. Open were underway.

To receive this credit, you must go to a specific website and request the credit. Any compensation will be reflected on a future invoice.

“We are pursuing all options to get your transmitter back. As a thank you for your patience, we are offering you a bill credit until the situation is resolved,” the website says.

The dispute once again centers on the transmission fees. Disney is demanding that DirecTV pay more to transmit its channels. And the two companies are airing their differences in public, aggressive statements.

This is the second year in a row that ESPN service has been interrupted during the US Open. It’s an opportune time for Disney to demand higher fees, as the NFL season also begins this week, meaning the loss of ESPN will likely upset DirecTV customers.

Other channels pulled from the broadcaster include Freeform, FX, Disney Junior and the Disney-owned ABC networks (including the flagships in New York and Los Angeles).

Broadcast disputes are usually resolved within a few days, but they can sometimes take several weeks (like the dispute between Disney and Charter Communications last year). In rare cases, they can drag on for years. Dish Network and WarnerMedia feuded for more than three years, keeping HBO and Cinemax off the satellite service from 2018 to 2021.

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