Disney settlement could pay YouTube TV and DirecTV users

You may have dropped cable to save money, only to watch your streaming bill creep higher anyway. Now, some YouTube TV and DirecTV Stream customers could be in line for a Disney payday.

The Walt Disney Company has agreed to a $50 million partial settlement in a class action lawsuit tied to live TV streaming prices. The lawsuit claims Disney used its control of ESPN and other Disney-owned channels to push YouTube TV and DirecTV Stream into pricier packages.

Disney denies any wrongdoing. The court also has not decided who is right or wrong. Still, eligible customers can now file a claim for a possible cash payment.

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The lawsuit is called Heather Biddle, et al. v. The Walt Disney Company, Case No. 5:22-cv-07317-EJD. The case claims Disney violated federal antitrust law and various state antitrust and consumer protection laws. According to the lawsuit, Disney's carriage demands allegedly raised prices for Streaming Live Pay Television services.

In everyday terms, the complaint centers on whether Disney made streaming TV packages more expensive by tying ESPN and other Disney-owned channels to basic offerings. That could have made it harder for streaming providers to offer cheaper plans without sports channels. Disney has agreed to settle the YouTube TV and DirecTV Stream portion of the case for $50 million. The notice applies only to YouTube TV and DirecTV Stream Plaintiffs. FuboTV Plaintiffs have not settled with Disney, so their part of the lawsuit remains ongoing.

You may qualify if you purchased a YouTube TV subscription at any time from April 1, 2019, through March 31, 2026. You may also qualify if you purchased a DirecTV streaming live pay TV subscription during that same period. That includes subscriptions branded as DirecTV Stream, DirecTV Now and AT&T TV Now.

Eligible customers are grouped by location. Some fall into what the settlement calls Repealer Jurisdictions. That group includes states and territories such as Alabama, California, Florida and New York, along with many others. All remaining states and territories fall into Non-Repealer Jurisdictions. Your location can affect how the settlement fund gets divided.

Right now, there is no fixed dollar amount for each person. The settlement says cash payments will be proportional to the length of your YouTube TV or DirecTV Stream subscription. So, someone who paid for one of these services longer may receive more than someone who subscribed briefly.

The final payout also depends on how many valid claims get approved. After claims come in, the settlement administrator will calculate payments from the available settlement fund. In other words, do not expect a giant check. However, if you qualify, filing a claim could put some money back in your pocket.

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The easiest way to file is through the official Online TV Settlement website at onlinetvsettlement.com/Login . Before you start, look for the Unique ID