Disney’s Channels Go Dark On Charter Spectrum
As college football fans around the country sat down to watch the Florida Gators take on the Utah Utes, a cry was heard from coast to coast as ESPN went dark, and a harrowing information screen appeared.
That’s right, as part of an ongoing carriage dispute, Disney-owned channels were removed from Charter Spectrum, the country’s second-largest cable TV provider.
Charter Spectrum
Some 14.7 million subscribers were affected by the removals, which included ABC, FX, Freeform, The Disney Channel, and the ESPN family of networks.
“The Walt Disney Company has removed their programming from Spectrum which creates hardship for our customers. We offered Disney a fair deal, yet they are demanding an excessive increase,” the company wrote in a note to customers. “They also want to limit our ability to provide greater customer choice in programming packages forcing you to take and pay for channels you may not want.”
“The rising cost of programming is the single greatest factor in higher cable TV prices, and we are fighting hard to hold the line on programming rates imposed on us by companies like Disney,” the graphic continued.
Negotiations Between Charter Spectrum and Disney Hit Deadlock
The deadlock with Disney comes at an interesting time for Spectrum, as the cable service provider has lost over 441,000 customers in the first half of 2023. Despite this, the company is expected to pass Comcast as the largest pay-TV provider in the U.S. this year.
Photo: Yahoo Sports
At the crux of the negotiations between Disney and Spectrum may be the kinds of packages that the cable service is trying to offer its customers.
Spectrum has begun offering packages that include regional sports networks and some national sports channels, as well as a cheaper package without them.
Charter’s Statement
In a statement released by Spectrum following the blackout, the company seemed to indicate that Disney would not allow them to offer packages featuring entertainment channels without ESPN.
“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,” Charter said in a statement. “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.”
Disney’s Response
For their part, Disney acknowledged the blackout, urging Charter to come to a resolution “to minimize the disruption to their customers.”
“We’ve been in ongoing negotiations with Charter Communications for some time and have not yet agreed to a new market-based agreement,” Disney said. “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.”
Photo: Getty Images
While Disney has been in carrier disputes before, a showdown with Charter Spectrum will be perilous for both parties. Hopefully, a resolution is reached soon.
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