DirecTV is offering $20 rebates to subscribers, one of the latest moves in a quickly escalating battle between the satellite carrier and ESPN parent company Walt Disney Co.
As Disney channels, including ESPN, are now dark on the No. 3 U.S. pay-TV distributor, DirecTV is now offering a small rebate to its subscriber base, estimated at more than 11 million. If every subscriber took advantage of the offer, that would represent a return of more than $220 million to consumers. The rebates will be in the form of a bill credit.
Disney, meanwhile, issued another statement bashing DirecTV on Wednesday, in part a response to the carrier’s lengthy presentation to analysts the previous day.
“DirecTV continues to misrepresent the facts around our ongoing negotiations,” Disney said in a statement attributed to ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro and Disney Entertainment co-chairs Dana Walden and Alan Bergman. “Our priority is to reach a marketplace deal that serves the needs of DirecTV and their customers while also recognizing the value of our top-quality content.”
![[Subscription Customers Only] Jun 15, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Botafogo owner John Textor inside the stadium before the match during a group stage match of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup at Lumen Field.](https://frontofficesports.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/USATSI_26465842_168416386_lowres-scaled.jpg?quality=100&w=1024)
