Disney Settles $50 Million Streaming Antitrust Suit Over ESPN Bundling
Updated
Updated · Fox Business · Jun 30
Disney Settles $50 Million Streaming Antitrust Suit Over ESPN Bundling
3 articles · Updated · Fox Business · Jun 30
Summary
$50 million will be paid by Disney to settle a class action alleging it used control of ESPN and Hulu to push up live-TV streaming prices.
The 2022 case, Biddle v. Disney, said carriage deals forced rivals to include ESPN in basic packages, limiting cheaper offerings on YouTube TV and DirecTV Stream; Disney denied wrongdoing and admitted no liability.
Subscribers who paid for YouTube TV or DirecTV Stream plans from April 1, 2019, through March 31, 2026, can seek pro rata cash payments, with claims due by Sept. 8, 2026.
A final court approval hearing is set for Jan. 14, 2027, after which payments would be issued; plaintiffs in a separate FuboTV case are not covered because that suit has not settled.