Disney-DirecTV update: The dispute continues, but DirecTV subscribers can still watch the debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. Here’s how.
Debate rules between Harris and Trump defined and agreed
The ground rules of the Harris-Trump debate have been established.
DirecTV and The Walt Disney Company have not yet agreed on a deal to bring ABC, ESPN and other Disney-owned channels back to the pay-TV provider’s systems, but that doesn’t mean you won’t be able to watch Tuesday night’s presidential debate hosted by ABC.
Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris will debate Tuesday night at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, the only debate currently scheduled between the candidates less than two months before the election.
Trump had proposed two more dates in September for subsequent debates, but the Harris team has said the vice president would agree to another debate in October, although a date has not yet been set.
Live updates on the presidential debate: When and how can you watch the duel between Harris and Trump?
Which channels are affected by the dispute between DirecTV and Disney?
Watching Tuesday’s debate could be a bit of a challenge, as eight Disney-owned ABC stations, including channels in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and debate city Philadelphia, were removed from DirecTV and U-Verse’s satellite television system when the television provider and Disney failed to agree on a new contract that would allow DirecTV to air Disney-owned channels.
The dispute also resulted in the ESPN networks, Disney Channel, FX, National Geographic and other networks being removed from DirecTV, U-Verse and its streaming service DirecTV Stream on September 1. Additionally, all ABC affiliates were excluded from DirecTV Stream due to streaming contracts.
Update on the dispute between DirecTV and Disney: No solution yet
The ongoing dispute has escalated publicly when DirecTV filed a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Saturday, September 7, accusing Disney of negotiating in bad faith. In a statement to USA TODAY on Monday, Disney accused DirecTV of “creating distractions” and should “prioritize their customers by making a deal.”
The good news for viewers is that even though the debate is hosted by ABC, you don’t need access to ABC on DirecTV to watch the presidential debate. Here are some options for those who want to watch.
How DirecTV customers can watch the presidential debate
According to ABC, the debate will air on ABC and stream on ABC News Live, Disney+ and Hulu.
However, if you can’t watch your local ABC channel because of the DirecTV-Disney dispute, other networks are also planning to broadcast the debate simultaneously. Networks broadcasting the debate include CBS, Fox, NBC, PBS, CNN, C-SPAN2, MSNBC, Bloomberg TV, BBC News, TheGrio and Newsmax TV. Many of these networks will also stream the debate on their websites.
USA TODAY will also stream the simulcast of the ABC News presidential debate on the USA TODAY channel, available on most smart TVs and devices.
When is the debate tonight?
The debate is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. ET. It will last 90 minutes and include two commercial breaks. Moderated by David Muir, host of “ABC World News Tonight with David Muir,” and Linsey Davis, who hosts “ABC News Live Prime” on the ABC News Live streaming site and “World News Tonight” on weekend Sundays.
Contributors: Gabe Hauari, Savannah KucharJonathan LimehouseMarina Pitofsky and Saman Shafiq.
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