Governor Cooper Calls on Walt Disney Company and DirecTV to Reach Broadcast Agreement So North Carolinians Can Cheer on Favorite Teams This Fall

NORTH CAROLINA, September 6 - Today, Governor Roy Cooper sent a letter to the Walt Disney Company and DirecTV urging them to end their dispute and come to a broadcast agreement that would allow North Carolina customers to get the services they’ve paid for and to view Atlantic Coast Conference football games and other popular sporting events.

Governor Cooper called on Disney and DirecTV to find a solution, writing, "A troubling pattern has emerged in recent years of media companies that make little progress in these contract negotiations until their customers feel the real pain. That means the start of popular sporting events, particularly college football season, which leaves your customers in the lurch. This an unacceptable practice and I encourage you to quickly resolve this dispute."

Read the Governor’s full letter here or see below:

I write on behalf of many North Carolinians who are frustrated and angry that their ability to watch their favorite sports teams and athletes over Labor Day weekend was stripped away due to the ongoing dispute between DirecTV and Disney. Not only did the ESPN networks (ESPN, ESPN 2, ACC Network, SEC Network and more) go dark, but other popular channels as well.

A troubling pattern has emerged in recent years of media companies that make little progress in these contract negotiations until their customers feel the real pain. That means the start of popular sporting events, particularly college football season, which leaves your customers in the lurch. This an unacceptable practice and I encourage you to quickly resolve this dispute.

At a time when the costs of everyday life are forcing hard budget decisions for a lot of families, many North Carolinians are choosing to spend their hard-earned money with your companies. Right now, you are not delivering.

Your customers want you to settle this dispute right away. As an avid sports fan myself, I second that sentiment.

North Carolinians are passionate about sports and it’s frustrating to have the rug pulled out from under them – especially when most people were not expecting it. Disney’s programming was pulled on Sunday evening just before the start of the nationally televised college football matchup between LSU and the University of Southern California. It was a great game, but many of your North Carolina customers couldn’t watch it. The US Open Tennis Championships and many other events were also blacked out.

I urge you to work around the clock to resolve this dispute as quickly as possible.

Sincerely,

Roy Cooper

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