Hollywood Inc.
A group of Dish bondholders rejected an improved offer put forward by DirecTV at the end of October.
Business
DirecTV and Dish are in advanced talks to merge in a deal that would create the largest U.S. pay-TV provider, with almost 20 million subscribers, people familiar with the matter said.
The deal would provide a loan to Dish parent EchoStar Communications and also prompt the departure of AT&T from its ownership of DirecTV.
Disney pulled its channels from DirecTV and U-Verse on Sunday, just minutes before a highly anticipated USC-LSU college football game. DirecTV has offered credits to customers as the blackout reflects building tensions in the TV industry.
Disney and DirecTV agreed to a new distribution deal, restoring ESPN, ABC and other channels for more than 10 million DirecTV and U-Verse customers.
California
Days of missed programming ended Saturday as Disney and DirecTV reached an accord, thus ending a 13-day blackout a day before ABC was set to host the Emmys.
With everything going on at DirecTV, Disney and the industry at large, this is clearly not just any old carriage dispute.
The ABC and ESPN blackout on DirecTV — affecting nearly 11 million homes — comes during a busy sports calendar with college football, the NFL and the U.S. Open tennis tournament.
The Disney-DirecTV dispute is in its second week. Over the weekend, DirecTV filed an FCC complaint, alleging Disney had failed to negotiate in good faith.
USC Sports
Coach Lincoln Riley knows USC must embrace an evolving mentality when it comes to figuring out how to generate new revenue streams for the football program.