ESPN and 18 other Disney networks as well as ABC stations have gone dark across Spectrum, the No. 2 cable TV service in the U.S., according to Deadline.
UPDATE 9/1/2023 4:40 ET:
- The Walt Disney Company has hit back at Charter Communications saying that the media company declined to pursue innovative carriage deals and instead just wanted to ram through price increases.
- Disney said in a Statement: “Contrary to their claims, we have offered Charter the most favorable terms on rates, distribution, packaging, advertising and more. We have proposed creative ways to make Disney’s direct-to-consumer services available to their Spectrum TV subscribers, including opportunities for new and flexible packages where those services become a focal point of what the consumer might choose.”
- Alluding to streaming services Hulu and Disney+, Disney maintains that Charter is “depriving consumers of that content because they are failing to ascribe any value in exchange for licensing those services.”
- The statement adds: “We continue to invest in original content that premieres exclusively on our linear networks, including live sports, news and appointment viewing programming. Likewise, on our direct-to-consumer services, we make multi-billion-dollar investments in exclusive content, which is incremental to our linear networks…We value our relationship with Charter and we are ready to get back to the negotiation table to restore access to our unrivaled content to their customers as quickly as possible.”
What’s Happening:
- ESPN and 18 other Disney-owned networks as well as ABC stations have reportedly gone dark on Spectrum cable services, the No. 2 cable TV service in the U.S.
- Spectrum owner, Charter Communications, and The Walt Disney Company have reportedly been going back and forth in a distribution dispute, with the carriage fight also carrying over to FX and ABC Stations along with ESPN. That means that Spectrum subscribers do not have access to these networks, and major upcoming sports events, including College Football and NFL games, will not be available for viewing.
- Spectrum reportedly ran spots during ESPN’s recent coverage of the U.S. Open, warning subscribers that they were about to lose that channel, asking them to call a toll-free number about losing ESPN and other Disney-owned networks.
- The channels went dark at 5:00 PM PT on August 31st, in the middle of live coverage, leaving only a black screen before a message appeared a short time later, stating that The Walt Disney Company was responsible for the removal of the programming, with the message also saying that Spectrum had offered Disney “A fair deal, yet are demanding an excessive increase.
- Here is the full list of networks and stations affected, according to Spectrum:
- ESPN
- ESPN2
- ESPN Deportes
- ESPNU
- ESPN News
- SEC Network
- ACC Network
- Longhorn Network
- FX
- FX Movie Channel
- FXX
- Freeform
- National Geographic
- Nat Geo Wild
- Nat Geo Mundo
- Disney Channel
- Disney Junior
- Disney XD
- BabyTV
- ABC On Demand programming
- ABC7 Chicago
- ABC7 Los Angeles
- ABC7 New York
- ABC7 San Francisco
- ABC11 Raleigh-Durham
- ABC13 Houston
- ABC30 Fresno
What They’re Saying:
- Disney Entertainment Statement: “We’ve been in ongoing negotiations with Charter Communications for some time and have not yet agreed to a new market-based agreement. As a result, their Spectrum TV subscribers no longer have access to our unrivaled portfolio of live sporting events and news coverage plus kids, family and general entertainment programming from the ABC Owned Television Stations, the ESPN networks, the Disney-branded channels, Freeform, the FX networks and the National Geographic channels. Disney Entertainment has successful deals in place with pay TV providers of all types and sizes across the country, and the rates and terms we are seeking in this renewal are driven by the marketplace. We’re committed to reaching a mutually agreed upon resolution with Charter and we urge them to work with us to minimize the disruption to their customers.”
- Charter Communications Statement: “We are disappointed with The Walt Disney Company’s decision to remove their networks from our lineup and deny our customers the opportunity to watch. We would agree to The Walt Disney Company’s significant rate increase despite their declining ratings. But they are trying to force our customers to pay for their very expensive programming, even those customers who don’t want it or worse, can’t afford it…The current video ecosystem is broken. With The Walt Disney Company, we have proposed a model that creates better alignment for the industry and better choices for our customers. We are hopeful we can find a path forward.”