Meg James:
Well, this debate has been simmering behind the surface because the pay-TV providers, like DirecTV are increasingly aggravated that Disney and other programmers have started their own streaming services basically to go into competition with their longtime partners.
And this dispute has been sort of going on for a few weeks, but it really roared into public focus on Sunday, when the deadline for the last deal expired and DirecTV no longer had authorization to carry Disney’s channels, including ESPN.
There are a lot of, like, very what would seem like arcane rules that the programmers have instituted, which used to work out fine for the pay-TV providers and the programmers. But in an age of skinnier bundles, these rules are just not working for the likes of DirecTV.