Disney Meets With Rosenworcel, Carr and Gomez on Virtual MVPDs and Quadrennial Review

Disney executives met with FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, Media Bureau Chief Holly Saurer, and Commissioners Brendan Carr and Anna Gomez about “ongoing changes in consumer preferences,” according to a brief ex parte filing posted Thursday in docket 14-261. That docket is associated with proposals to reclassify linear streaming services as MVPDs, and the filing was also posted in quadrennial review docket 22-459. The Monday meetings involved discussion of Disney’s “history of partnering closely with ABC affiliates to accelerate comprehensive access to digital content distribution” and Disney’s investment in “on the ground reporting” at the ABC stations it owns. Broadcasters supporting the reclassification have said networks have a disparate level of control over contracts involving digital distribution of local news content generated by their affiliates, threatening the existence of local news. “We outlined broad trends in the media marketplace that both shape and respond to the needs of viewers,” the filing said.