Sign Up for DirecTV Stream Class Action Lawsuit
DirecTV Stream class action lawsuit is currently open:
Those who meet eligibility criteria should apply before the deadline September 5, 2026. Disney allegedly used its control of ESPN to force streaming services to raise DirecTV Stream subscriber prices.
DirecTV Stream Class Action Lawsuit
A class action lawsuit has been filed against The Walt Disney Company because it allegedly used its control of ESPN — the single most expensive channel in any live-TV bundle — to push streaming prices back up to old cable levels for DirecTV Stream subscribers and YouTube TV subscribers alike. This case began when subscribers including Heather Biddle sued in late 2022, with claims folded into a Consolidated Amended Class Action Complaint filed October 18, 2023, brought under Section 1 of the Sherman Act and Sections 4 and 16 of the Clayton Act, alongside roughly a dozen state antitrust and consumer-protection statutes including the California Cartwright Act and the Massachusetts Consumer Protection Act.
The DirecTV Stream claims center on Disney’s carriage agreements: plaintiffs say Disney leveraged ESPN’s "must-have" status to force streaming distributors like DirecTV Stream, YouTube TV, and Hulu + Live TV to carry its full slate of networks in their base packages, inflating what consumers paid. The case is captioned Biddle v. The Walt Disney Company, No. 5:22-cv-07317-EJD, represented by Bathaee Dunne LLP and Korein Tillery P.C.
DirecTV Stream Class Action Settlement - $50,000,000
Disney has agreed to a $50 million settlement that resolves the DirecTV Stream and YouTube TV antitrust claims — a partial settlement, since the FuboTV plaintiffs in the same litigation have not settled. The settlement amount is an all-cash, non-reversionary fund: once approved, no money returns to Disney, even if some of it goes unclaimed. Coverage runs to anyone who purchased a DirecTV Stream subscription (including its former DirecTV Now and AT&T TV Now branding), or a YouTube TV subscription, between April 1, 2019 and March 31, 2026. After notice costs, administration, attorneys’ fees, and service awards are deducted, the remaining Net Settlement Fund is split by geography — 90% to class members who lived in an antitrust "repealer" jurisdiction during the class period, and 10% to everyone else. Beyond the cash, Disney agreed to three years of business-practice commitments: it will consider smaller, genre-based bundle options when distributors request them, and maintain internal information walls between its negotiating teams. The deadline to file a claim is September 8, 2026.
Deadline for filing a claim: September 5, 2026
Streaming Class Action Payout: Up to $300
There is no fixed per-person check here, which is the first thing to understand about the DirecTV Stream settlement amount per person: payments are pro rata, meaning the fund is divided in proportion to how long you subscribed and how many people file. The claim form sorts subscription length into bands from "less than one year" up to "six years or more," and longer subscribers draw a larger share.
Streaming Class Action Eligibility
You're covered if you paid for DirecTV Stream (including its earlier DirecTV Now and AT&T TV Now branding) or YouTube TV during the class period — but where you lived matters more than usual here, because the settlement pays out 90% of the net fund to residents of antitrust "repealer" states and only 10% to everyone else, so two people with identical subscriptions can receive very different checks.
Streaming Class Action Claim Form
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FAQ
Yes. DirecTV Stream subscribers form their own settlement class, separate from YouTube TV subscribers. You qualify based on your DirecTV Stream subscription alone; you don't need to have had YouTube TV too.
The net fund is split 90/10. Class members who lived in an antitrust "repealer" jurisdiction — about 40 states and territories, from California to New York — share 90% of the money; everyone in the remaining states splits just 10%.
Plaintiffs allege ESPN is the costliest input in any live-TV package, and that Disney used carriage agreements to require streamers to bundle it into base tiers — pushing prices back toward pre-cord-cutting cable levels.
No. Disney denies all wrongdoing and liability, and no court has found that it violated any law. It agreed to settle to avoid the cost and risk of continued litigation.
Yes. If you subscribed to both, submit one claim form that lists both subscriptions, and you can receive a payment for each rather than having to choose.
Yes. The DirecTV Stream class expressly includes its earlier brand names, DirecTV Now and AT&T TV Now, so subscriptions under those labels qualify during the class period.
Class counsel will request up to 30% of the gross fund — as much as $15 million — plus reasonable costs. The court can award less, and any fees come out of the $50 million.
It never goes back to Disney. Leftover funds can be redistributed among claimants, donated to a court-approved cy pres recipient, or escheated to state or federal governments.
This is a partial settlement. The FuboTV plaintiffs in the same consolidated litigation did not settle with Disney, so FuboTV subscriptions are not covered and those claims continue separately.
For three years after final approval, Disney will consider offering distributors smaller genre-based bundles instead of all-or-nothing carriage, and will keep information walls between its network-negotiation and affiliated-streamer teams.