This past Saturday, Sling TV users came to a surprise when they turned their TVs on and could not stream any of the Disney-owned channels such as ESPN networks, Disney Channel, or Freeform.
It was discovered that Dish, the parent company of Sling TV, and their agreement with Disney for the Disney-owned channels that included the following channels:
- Select local ABC stations (Dish-only)
- Disney Channel
- Disney Junior
- Disney XD
- Freeform
- FX
- FXX
- FXM
- Baby TV
- National Geographic
- National Geographic Wild
- Nat Geo Mundo
- ESPN
- ESPN2
- ESPN3
- ESPNU
- ESPNEWS
- ACC Network
- SEC Network
- Longhorn Network
However, come this morning, Monday, October 3, all of the channels were brought back to Sling TV and Dish.
The Streamable said in a statement from Dish the parameters of the new deal between Dish and Disney:
“We have reached a handshake agreement with DISH/Sling TV, which properly reflects fair market value and terms for The Walt Disney Company’s unparalleled content. As a result, we are pleased to restore our portfolio of networks on a temporary basis while both parties work to finalize a new deal.”
The Disney-owned networks blackout was a big deal considering the fact that ESPN is owned by the company which airs a lot of college football games on Saturdays. The ESPN networks are primarily available through the Sling Orange or Sling Blue + Sling Orange plans on the live TV streaming service.
Sling TV did give Sling Orange users access to other sports networks over the weekend that included FS1 and NFL Network during that time, which came in handy since FS1 airs live college football games and NFL Network aired the live Vikings vs. Saints game that was played in London on Sunday.
The good news is all of the Disney-owned networks are back on Sling TV for the days and weeks to come.
Sling TV starts at $35 a month and is available to stream on the iPhone, iPad, Apple TV and Mac.
