BOCA RATON, Fla. — An ongoing dispute between Disney and DirecTV has left millions of TV viewers without their favorite sports and primetime programming since Sunday.
We know that many sports fans have been waiting all summer and looking forward to this time of year to enjoy sports such as football.
As the blackout continues through the week, frustration is growing, especially among football fans eager for the season to begin, as well as other viewers looking forward to upcoming events like the presidential debates and awards ceremonies.
WPTV News reporter Victor Jorges spoke with Gerald Kleinhans of Port St. Lucie, who said he was frustrated that he missed last week’s Florida State football game because of the power outage. Kleinhans is also worried about missing important events, such as the presidential debate scheduled to air on ABC next Tuesday.
“You’re not going to be able to pick a good candidate after watching that,” Kleinhans said, also discussing his wife’s disappointment in missing the season finale of “The Bachelorette” on Monday.
The power outage has caused hardship for local businesses, especially sports bars.
Chris Torelli, managing partner of the Hooters in Boca Raton, said the restaurant plans to handle the disruption with transparency and patience, and he asks patrons to do the same.
“We have a list of 37 games available to watch, and if they can’t watch one of those games, it means the world to that fan,” Torelli said.
Torelli said other sports programming will still be available, but he expects issues to arise as the football season progresses and the stakes rise.
“We have listed some dates and games that are potentially problematic,” Torelli said.
Torelli said the outages affect everyone, whether they’re at home or in public. He’s a sports fan himself, and said if he wasn’t watching the game for work, he would have been watching it at home like everyone else.
How did it get to this point? Both companies are blaming each other.
DirecTV said Disney was making consumers pay for channels they didn’t watch, and Disney said DirecTV’s offer undervalued its portfolio. For now, customers remain in limbo, with DirecTV offering to deduct $20 from next month’s bill, but many, like the Kleinhans, feel the offer doesn’t go far enough.
For those with blank screens, alternative programming from NBC, FOX and CBS may provide some relief, but for sports fans, especially those looking forward to Monday night games, the wait will continue until this dispute is resolved.
If your TV shows a black screen, the QR code displayed is the site you can access.