The Walt Disney Company has agreed to a proposed $50 million settlement in a case alleging that the House of Mouse inflated streaming costs by requiring platforms to carry ESPN.
The website Top Class Actions reported that subscribers to YouTube TV and DirecTV Stream claimed Disney used anticompetitive carriage agreements that forced the platforms to include ESPN, thereby raising prices above what they would have been without the channel.
ArtsTechnica said the amount of a base YouTube TV package went from $35 without the channels to $65 with them.
The lawsuit also claimed the requirement prevented competition, according to Newsweek.
Disney denied wrongdoing.
In addition to the settlement payments, Disney would also be required to consider subscription packages with fewer Disney networks, including ESPN, Newsweek reported.
Are you eligible?
To get a portion of the settlement, you must have been subscribed to YouTube TV, DirecTV Stream, including DirecTV Now or AT&T TV Now, from April 1, 2019 and March 31, 2026. You don’t have to be a current subscriber.
The deadline to file a claim is Sept. 8, either online or by mail, and the amount you receive will be determined by how long you subscribed to the platforms.
Final approval of the settlement is expected on Jan. 14, with payments being issued after that date, but the exact timing has not been set.
The lawsuit was Biddle et al. v. The Walt Disney Company.
For more information and to file a claim, click here.
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