‘The Bachelorette’ Finale Won’t Be Broadcast For DirecTV Customers Due To Disney Carriage Dispute, Frustrating Viewers

Katie Campione
·2 min read
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The carriage dispute between Disney and DirecTV already put a damper on the weekend for college football fans, and now some viewers are upset that the situation will likely be spoiling their plans for The Bachelorette finale.

As early as Sunday, moments after the Disney networks, including ABC and ESPN, went dark for DirectTV customers, fans of the franchise pointed out on social media that it would impact their ability to watch the live finale, if things weren’t resolved by Tuesday evening.

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“Apparently DIRECTV and Disney/ABC couldn’t come to an agreement and now their channels aren’t available,” one X user wrote on September 1. “Umm how am I supposed to watch The Bachelorette finale on Tuesday?! I can’t wait til next day without facing spoilers!”

Another user tagged both companies, writing: “please resolve your disagreement soon. The Bachelorette finale is tomorrow night and I have to see how it ends! TIA a paying customer!”

The contract between the two companies expired Sunday, and DirecTV pulled the plug on its Disney-owned channels in the moments leading up to ESPN’s telecast of the 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff time for the USC-LSU matchup.

As of Tuesday evening, the carriage dispute is ongoing, with all of DirecTV’s 11 million-plus subscribers unable to access any Disney networks, which will mean The Bachelorette finale remains unavailable to viewers despite their social media protests.

Luckily, all episodes of the series are available next-day on Hulu, though that will require dodging spoilers in the meantime.

See a sampling of users’ complaints below.

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