Despite haggling that dates back to the early part of the year, DirecTV (NASDAQ: DTV) and Disney will likely end 2014 without a new long term program licensing deal in place.
Shedding a wee bit of light on one of the most arduous and shielded negotiations in the pay-TV business right now, Multichannel News says the talks are now nearly three months past the expiration of the last DirecTV-Disney deal, which occurred Sept. 30.
Both sides have not publicly commented or otherwise interjected any of the usual media negotiating rhetoric.
And there doesn't appear to be any threat of a wide-scale blackout of Disney networks on DirecTV.
The lack of a multiscreen deal between Disney and DirecTV is one of the biggest holes in the TV Everywhere initiative, with nearly 20 million DirecTV subscribers unable to use the multichannel services of TV Everywhere's biggest channel, ESPN.
For more:
- read this Multichannel News story
- read this Reuters story
Related links:
DirecTV in discussions with Disney for OTT deal
Four reasons why TV Everywhere isn't ready for prime time: A simple look at a complex problem
Analyst describes 'torturous' TV Everywhere experience watching FX's 'The Americans'