Walt Disney reimagines content tubes

CALIFORNIA, USA: The Walt Disney Company and DIRECTV have announced a multi-year distribution agreement that will provide DIRECTV customers with access to Disney’s lineup of top quality sports, news, kids and entertainment content across televisions, computers, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles and other connected devices.

"This new agreement brings DIRECTV’s already unmatched content offering and experience to a whole new level. It also allows both companies to evolve together into the future and gives DIRECTV customers a wide range of in-home and out-of-home viewing options to enjoy the broad collection of ESPN, Disney and ABC content,” said Dan York, Chief Content Officer at DIRECTV. “It’s an immense and exciting undertaking to work together to shape the future of content consumption and the possibilities are endless.”

David Preschlack, Executive Vice President, Affiliate Sales and Marketing, Disney and ESPN Media Networks, added: “We have a stellar reputation for working in close collaboration with our distribution partners to strengthen the value of the multichannel video subscription. Our new agreement with DIRECTV reinforces that approach and brings to a successful conclusion the renewal over the past several years of deals with each of our top ten affiliates. Not only will DIRECTV customers continue to receive all the great content they currently have, but they will now be able to access it on digital platforms through our authenticated WATCH products as well as receive new services as part of their subscription, including Fusion, Longhorn Network, ESPN Goal Line, ESPN Buzzer Beater and ESPN3 also on television.”

DIRECTV customers will be able to access the live linear feeds and video-on-demand content from all ESPN and Disney cable networks and ABC owned and operated TV stations in and out of the home on the authenticated WATCH services – including WatchESPN, WATCH Disney Channel, WATCH Disney XD, WATCH Disney Junior, WATCH ABC Family and WATCH ABC – using Internet-enabled devices in early 2015 and soon via the DIRECTV Everywhere app on iOS and Android phones and tablets, and directv.com.

The companies will also explore new opportunities with respect to potential over-the-top (OTT) offerings.

The extensive and expanded rights package gives DIRECTV customers access to video-on-demand content at home and on-the-go on their computers, tablets and smartphones, and has in its scope episodes of such popular current ABC shows as 'Scandal', 'Castle', 'Grey’s Anatomy', 'Once Upon A Time', 'Revenge' or 'The Fosters', 'Switched at Birth', 'Baby Daddy' and 'Melissa & Joey'.