The Walt Disney Company has agreed to pay $50 million to settle a federal class-action lawsuit filed by YouTube TV and DirecTV Stream subscribers.
Plaintiffs alleged Disney violated antitrust laws by requiring streaming live pay television providers to carry bundled Disney networks-including ESPN-as a condition for licensing its programming. This allegedly blocked low-cost, à la carte streaming packages.
Disney denies wrongdoing but settled to avoid protracted litigation. The agreement was filed March 5 in U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, San Jose Division.