ESPN, ABC and other Disney networks are BLACKED OUT on DirectTV in contract dispute moments before LSU-USC kickoff and during US Open

Walt Disney Co. networks, including ESPN and ABC stations, have been removed from DirectTV after negotiations between the satellite company and media giant collapsed on Sunday.

The blackout impacts around 11 million customer homes.

Making matters worse for DirectTV subscribers is that the blackout occurred just before a highly anticipated college football game between Southern California and Louisiana State on ABC. What's more, it also comes amid ESPN's ongoing coverage of the US Open.

In the aftermath of the blackout, both DirectTV and ESPN pointed fingers at each other.

ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro released a joint statement with Disney co-chairmen Dana Walden and Alan Bergman, claiming 'DirecTV chose to deny millions of subscribers access to our content just as we head into the final week of the US Open and gear up for college football and the opening of the NFL season.'

DirectTV Chief Content Officer Rob Thun shot back in a statement of his own: 'The Walt Disney Co. is once again refusing any accountability to consumers, distribution partners, and now the American judicial system.'

In its press release, DirectTV accused Disney of an 'anti-consumer approach' that forces 'DirectTV and other TV distributors… to pay for channels they don't watch.'

Other broadcasts that could be impacted are ESPN’s Monday Night Football, which premiers on September 9 when the San Francisco 49ers face the New York Jets.

Also, ABC affiliates owned directly by Disney have also been pulled from DirectTV, which could result in viewers missing local news, their favorite game shows like ‘Wheel of Fortune’ and talk shows such as ‘Good Morning American’ and ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live.’