Are You Eligible to Receive a Portion of Disney’s $50 Million Settlement? Here’s How You Can File a Claim
The Walt Disney Company has agreed to a $50 million settlement in a class action lawsuit that alleged the media giant violated federal antitrust and consumer protection laws.
The settlement is still waiting for final court approval from a federal judge, with a hearing set for January 2027, but eligible consumers need to submit any claims ahead of that date.
Disney has denied the lawsuit’s claims and allegations of wrongdoing. The company agreed to settle the case without admitting liability.
Here is what you need to know about the settlement and how you can file a claim.
What did the lawsuit against Disney allege?
A federal class action lawsuit was filed in 2022 on behalf of YouTube TV and DirecTV subscribers.
In Biddle v. Disney, the plaintiffs alleged that Disney, through its ownership and control of Hulu and the Entertainment Sports Programming Network (ESPN), used its market position to inflate prices across the streaming live pay television market.
According to the lawsuit, Disney’s carriage agreements required streaming platforms to include ESPN in their basic channel packages, limiting competitors’ ability to offer lower-cost alternatives.
The plaintiffs alleged that those practices contributed to significant price increases for YouTube TV and DirecTV subscribers.
They further argued that Disney “set a price floor for the entire market, reduced consumer choice, and strengthened significant barriers to entry.”
While denying wrongdoing or liability, Disney agreed to a $50 million settlement with the YouTube TV and DirecTV subscriber plaintiffs.
A similar case involving Disney’s impact on streaming subscription prices involving FuboTV was later filed. However, claims brought by the FuboTV plaintiffs remain unresolved and are not part of this settlement.
Who is eligible to make a claim for a portion of the Disney settlement?
Two groups of subscribers are eligible to submit a claim.
People who purchased a YouTube TV subscription between April 1, 2019, and March 31, 2026, and people who subscribed to DirecTV’s streaming live pay TV services (including DirecTV Stream, DirecTV Now, and AT&T TV Now) between April 1, 2019, and March 31, 2026.
You are not eligible if you are one of Disney’s employees, officers, directors, legal representatives, heirs, successors, wholly or partially owned subsidiaries or affiliates; counsel for the parties and their employees; or the judicial officers, their immediate family members, and court staff assigned to this litigation.
How can you make a claim for a portion of the Disney settlement?
There are multiple ways to submit a claim.
A notice should have been sent to any settlement class member via email, post, or hand-delivery.
Before filing, you will need the unique ID printed on the notice you received by mail or email. If you did not receive a notice or have misplaced it, you can contact the settlement administrator at [email protected] for further assistance.
Claims must be submitted online or postmarked by Sept. 8, 2026.
After submitting a claim online, you should receive an email containing a confirmation code for your records.
Paper claim forms are also available and must be completed in full, with the verification statement signed, and mailed to: Settlement Administrator, P.O. Box 4720, Portland, OR 97208-4720.
Eligible claimants are required to confirm the start and end dates of a subscription under penalty of perjury.
Individuals who maintained both a YouTube TV subscription and a DirecTV streaming subscription may submit a single claim form containing information for both subscriptions in order to seek compensation for each.
When can claimants expect to receive compensation—and how much could they receive?
If a valid claim is submitted by the deadline, any payment will be issued only if the settlement receives final court approval and becomes effective.
The court is scheduled to hold a final approval hearing on Jan. 14, 2027, at 9 a.m., local time, before U.S. District Judge Edward J. Davila, who is overseeing the class action in California.
At the hearing, the court will determine whether the settlement is “fair, reasonable, and adequate,” and will also consider the proposed distribution plan, class counsel’s request for attorneys’ fees and costs, and any requested service awards.
The settlement administrator recommends that class members monitor the settlement website for updates.
Eligible claimants will receive a pro rata cash payment, with the amount based on the length of their YouTube TV and/or DirecTV streaming subscription.
The money received by each eligible claimant will depend on the amount of people that apply for a portion of the settlement.
Attorney’s fees will also need to be subtracted from the settlement fund prior to payments being made.