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ESPN Sues Verizon Over New Cable Packages

ESPN filed a lawsuit against Verizon in New York Supreme Court on Monday, asserting that the telecommunications company breached its contract with the network when it unveiled a new cable package last week.

On April 19, Verizon introduced a cable package that took channels normally available on basic cable — networks like ESPN, Comedy Central and USA — and separated them into smaller, category-specific groups like sports, entertainment and children’s programs that customers can choose from. Verizon introduced the package with apparently little to no discussion with these cable networks. Disney, which owns ESPN, complained that Verizon made a “unilateral” decision.

“ESPN is at the forefront of embracing innovative ways to deliver high-quality content and value to consumers on multiple platforms, but that must be done in compliance with our agreements,” an ESPN spokeswoman said. “We simply ask that Verizon abide by the terms of our contracts.”

Verizon is not backing down.

“Consumers have spoken loud and clear that they want choice, and the industry should be focused on giving consumers what they want,” a Verizon spokeswoman said in response to the lawsuit. “We are well within our rights under our agreements to offer our customers these choices.”

More and more TV consumers are looking for cheaper options with less expensive streaming services, such as Netflix. The Verizon package, called FiOS Custom TV, gives customers a base package of 35 channels and allows them to choose two out of seven category-specific tiers. It costs $55 a month and customers can add on additional packages for $10 each.

Last week, 21st Century Fox and NBCUniversal joined ESPN in saying that the FiOS cable package violated their contracts. Late last week, Disney and Fox withdrew commercials for the FiOS cable package from some of their local broadcast stations.

A version of this article appears in print on  , Section B, Page 7 of the New York edition with the headline: ESPN Sues Verizon Over Customized FiOS Cable Packages. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

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