In an ongoing carriage feud that has left Disney networks dark on DirecTV for the past 10 days, the pay-TV operator has turned down an offer from Disney to temporarily provide access to ABC News' coverage of the upcoming presidential debate. Despite this setback, DirecTV customers will still be able to watch the debate through various other outlets that will simulcast it live.

The satellite and streaming TV company released a statement on Tuesday, expressing their decision to decline Disney's offer. According to DirecTV, returning only Disney's ABC stations for a limited three-hour window would cause customer confusion as they would briefly regain access to the debate, only to lose the channel again shortly after.

DirecTV had proposed that if Disney were willing to "restore all its channels across platforms" through the end of "Monday Night Football" on September 17, they would agree to return ABC in time for the presidential debate. However, Disney firmly rejected this offer, maintaining their stance in the ongoing negotiations.

DirecTV argued that temporarily restoring Disney-owned channels for the next week would benefit customers, enabling them to watch not only the debate but also the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony on September 16, as well as their favorite college and professional football games on ABC and ESPN.

Nevertheless, DirecTV assured its customers that they will still have access to the Harris-Trump debate through other major broadcast networks, including CBS, NBC, and Fox, as well as various news channels such as C-SPAN, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, and PBS. The debate will also be livestreamed on the ABC News Live digital channel, Hulu, and Disney+, alongside simulcasts on additional broadcast and streaming channels.

Disney had previously stated that despite the lack of agreement with DirecTV, they are providing a three-hour feed of ABC News coverage to all impacted DirecTV customers free of charge. They expressed their commitment to ensuring all Americans can view the debate, emphasizing that the restoration of programming to DirecTV subscribers is entirely within the control of the pay-TV operator.

The distribution agreement between Disney and DirecTV expired on September 1 after months of negotiations. As a result, DirecTV's 11 million satellite and streaming customers have been without access to a range of sports programming on ESPN and ABC, including college football, the U.S. Open, and the highly anticipated season of "Monday Night Football."

The escalating dispute reached a new level last week when DirecTV announced a price increase that infuriated its customers. Additionally, DirecTV filed a formal complaint with the FCC over the weekend, accusing Disney of failing to engage in good-faith negotiations and requesting that DirecTV waive legal claims. Disney, on the other hand, defended its actions, stating that such agreements are standard and criticizing DirecTV for acting in bad faith.

DirecTV has alleged that Disney is demanding an excessive price increase for its networks and impeding their ability to create lower-cost "skinny bundles" of TV channels. However, Disney countered by asserting that they had presented multiple flexible programming package options to DirecTV, including a sports-centric combo with ABC and ESPN networks.

As negotiations continue, DirecTV customers eagerly await a resolution that would bring back their beloved Disney-owned channels and allow uninterrupted access to a range of popular programming.