(Reuters) – Satellite television provider DirecTV has filed a complaint with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC), accusing Walt Disney Co. of Disney (NYSE:) for failing to negotiate in good faith and engaging in anti-competitive behavior, the company said Sunday.
In the complaint, DirecTV claimed that Disney has imposed unreasonable conditions on the renewal of its distribution agreement, including bundling demands and penetration requirements that a federal court recently declared illegal.
DirecTV also said Disney has insisted on a “big bundle” of channels, forcing the operator to offer less popular programming while Disney offers consumers cheaper, “skinny” packages.
In response, a Disney spokesperson said the company is continuing to negotiate with DirecTV and urged it to finalize a deal that puts customers first.
“We are continuing to negotiate with DirecTV to restore access to our content as quickly as possible,” the spokesman said in an emailed statement to Reuters.
The dispute has already caused more than 11 million DirecTV subscribers to lose access to Disney-owned channels, including ESPN, ahead of the National Football League season.
The showdown comes amid a broader debate over the future of bundled programming in the streaming era, with DirecTV looking to offer more flexible, lower-cost packages without ESPN while Disney argues to protect its flagship networks.
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