Why DirecTV customers may need a workaround to watch the Trump-Harris debate

The highly anticipated debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump will be hosted by ABC News, a division of The Walt Disney Company, and broadcast on ABC. As of Sunday, DirecTV customers will no longer be able to access Disney-owned ABC stations, ESPN networks, Disney Channel, FX, Freeform and other channels from the House of Mouse after the company shut down the networks.

Although Disney and DirecTV could reach an agreement to restore access to the channels, the two sides appear no closer to reaching an agreement. The channel blocking comes ahead of a weekend of college football and the U.S. Open on ABC and ESPN, as well as the NFL’s season opener. Monday Night Football also in these networks.

DirecTV and Disney have accused each other of blocking, with the cable and satellite company claiming Disney was forcing it to pay for services its customers may not want and seeking to waive legal claims over Disney’s anti-competitive behavior.

“The Walt Disney Co. once again disclaims any responsibility to consumers, distributors and now the American justice system,” Rob Thun, chief content officer at DirecTV, said in a statement Sunday. “Disney is in the business of creating alternate realities, but this is the real world where we believe you have to earn your way and answer for your own actions.”

“They want to continue to pursue maximum profits and dominance at the expense of consumers – and make it more difficult for them to choose the shows and sports they want at a reasonable price,” he added.

Disney insisted that the dispute was about carriage fees and argued that DirecTV had misrepresented the facts.

“DirecTV continues to misrepresent the facts of our ongoing negotiations. Our priority is to reach a marketplace agreement that meets the needs of DirecTV and its customers while recognizing the value of our high-quality content and the significant investment required to create and acquire it,” Disney Entertainment co-chairmen Dana Walden and Alan Bergman and ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro said in a joint statement Wednesday.

“We believe there is a path to a fair and flexible agreement that strikes this critical balance and works for all parties, especially the consumer,” the statement continued.

Unlike exclusive sports broadcasts, Tuesday’s debate can be accessed in multiple locations, although the Disney-owned ABC networks remain blocked for DirecTV customers.

The easiest way for DirecTV customers to watch the debate is via a simulcast on another network. ABC is hosting the debate, but several other networks have announced simulcasts of the Harris-Trump showdown. NBC, Fox, CBS and PBS have announced simulcasts over the air, and cable networks including C-SPAN, CNN, Fox News Channel, MSNBC and NewsNation will also broadcast the debate live.

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If DirecTV customers insist on watching ABC News’ debate coverage, the network has announced it will carry it on ABC News Live, Disney+ and Hulu. ABC is also available via antenna without cable or satellite.

The debate between Harris and Trump will take place at 9 p.m. EDT on Tuesday at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia and will follow similar rules to the CNN debate between President Joe Biden and Trump in June.