DirecTV is in talks with Walt Disney to license the rights to offer Disney’s broadcast and cable channels as part of an Internet-based product, mirroring a first-of-its kind agreement between Disney and satellite rival Dish Network that was first reported in The Post this week.
“The deal and terms are not unexpected as the Dish contract was the most recent in the Disney timeline to expire,” said a spokesman for DirecTV, which is headed by Chief Executive Mike White. DirecTV’s contract with Disney expires in late December.
A Disney spokesman declined to comment.
An agreement could give both Disney and DirecTV a new revenue source as consumers gravitate toward online video services such as Netflix and watch more television online.
The landmark agreement between Dish and Disney marked the first time that a US pay TV operator was given the flexibility to offer its content over the Web through smartphones, tablets and computers outside of a pay TV subscription.