Disney pulls all channels from Spectrum/Charter cable

[Fenway]

In a significant carriage dispute, Disney’s TV channels, including ABC, ESPN, FX and Freeform, have gone dark on Charter Spectrum, the country’s second-largest cable TV provider, with 14.7 million subscribers.

The blackout happened at a critical time, with ESPN’s networks broadcasting both the U.S. Open tennis tournament (in the middle of Spanish star Carlos Alcaraz’s match), as well as a college football game between Utah and the University of Florida. Spectrum customers in the country’s top two media markets of New York and Los Angeles are impacted by the blackouts.

Disney Channels, Including ABC and ESPN, Go Dark on Charter Spectrum In Major Carriage Dispute

ESPN had been televising both U.S. Open tennis and college football when the channel went dark.

www.hollywoodreporter.com

Click to read more...

 

[Fenway]

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.

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.

Spectrum is on your side and fighting to keep costs down while protecting and maximizing customer choice.

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.

We apologize for the inconvenience.

We understand how important it is to be able to access your programming content and have solutions for you.

We ask for your patience as we continue to work out a deal that is fair for everyone.

Disney-owned channels and stations impacted:
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 and the following local ABC stations: ABC7 Chicago, ABC7 Los Angeles, ABC7 New York, ABC7 San Francisco, ABC11 Raleigh-Durham, ABC13 Houston, ABC30 Fresno.

 

[tucker3434]

This stuff always seems to happen on the eve of major sporting events.

 

[tarheelhockey]

Disney-owned channels and stations impacted:

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 and the following local ABC stations: ABC7 Chicago, ABC7 Los Angeles, ABC7 New York, ABC7 San Francisco, ABC11 Raleigh-Durham, ABC13 Houston, ABC30 Fresno.

Mother of god. Imagine paying for cable and having that many blank channels, especially if you're a sports fan or parent of a young child. Also hitting the local news channels in all the mega-markets. Yikes.

Also, this:

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.

is just ****ing priceless coming from a cable company. Do they think nobody knows their own business model is forcing customers to pay for channels they don't want?

 

[Kirk Van Houten]

Disney impasse could be existential for Charter's TV business

Charter sees its impasse with Disney, which has resulted in ESPN going dark on Spectrum cable, as more than a typical carriage dispute.

www.sportsmediawatch.com

In a conference call Friday morning, Charter CEO Chris Winfrey said the company is “on the edge of a precipice” wherein it will either achieve the flexibility it is seeking from Disney or possibly exit the TV distribution business entirely. Another executive on the call described Charter having reached the point of “economic indifference” with the status quo and looking for a new “collaborative” model. Specifically, according to The Wall Street Journal, Charter is not willing to pay for Disney’s linear channels without the inclusion of their streaming counterparts, ESPN+, Disney+ and Hulu. Disney is only willing to include those services for an additional fee. Charter’s belief is that the linear channels have been devalued by the streaming services and will only become moreso after Disney takes ESPN direct-to-subscriber in the coming years.

 

[LadyStanley]

One of the Biggest Cable Companies Says Cable TV Isn’t Working

One of the biggest cable companies in the United States has a message for media companies, its major partners in a decades-old business: The traditional cable-TV model is broken, and it needs to be fixed or abandoned. Cable TV has become too expensive for consumers and providers, Charter...

news.yahoo.com

NYTimes article: cable is broken

 

[Kirk Van Houten]

SBJ Media: Why this weekend is so important to Disney, Charter

www.sportsbusinessjournal.com

Despite steady negotiations over the weekend, sources said that Charter and Disney are no closer to a deal than they were last week. Disney wants to wait to see how much pain Charter is willing to take from angry sports fans ditching their video packages. Charter’s plan to refer those angry subscribers to other video outlets suggests that the cable operator is prepared to wait it out, as well.

 

[willy702]

Pretty crazy indeed. I went to NYC and went to the US Open. Then at the hotel tried to catch up on the other days and it's Spectrum so it's out. The bars all packed with people watch the tennis into the crazy late hours, obviously getting the benefit of the blackout.

 

[LadyStanley]

Tuesday's Fast Money had discussion on situation. Most "cable" companies getting their income from broadband (internet access) than cable packages.

 

[MMC]

Spectrum also appears to be having a dispute with this site. I have Spectrum wifi at home and can’t access it on either my phone or computer (it just lags for minutes and then I get time out error), but whenever I switch my phone to data or pull it up on my laptop elsewhere it works fine

 

[MMC]

 

[PCSPounder]

One of the Biggest Cable Companies Says Cable TV Isn’t Working

One of the biggest cable companies in the United States has a message for media companies, its major partners in a decades-old business: The traditional cable-TV model is broken, and it needs to be fixed or abandoned. Cable TV has become too expensive for consumers and providers, Charter...

news.yahoo.com

NYTimes article: cable is broken

So broken that the agent we called was so heartened by our choice to drop cable and increase bandwidth (as you mentioned later) that she didn’t try to sell us a DAMN thing.

 

[Mike C]

When my Dish contract runs out, I'll use a free antenna for local channels. ESPN+ for hockey and Sling for everything else

To HELL with the rest of 'em. They're not the only game in town

 

[wildthing202]

Latest Analysis, News, Rumors, and Articles by OutKick

Latest Analysis, News, Rumors, and Articles by OutKick

www.outkick.com

Good article explaining why ESPN basically killed themselves and the rest of the cable networks.

 

[tucker3434]

Latest Analysis, News, Rumors, and Articles by OutKick

Latest Analysis, News, Rumors, and Articles by OutKick

www.outkick.com

Good article explaining why ESPN basically killed themselves and the rest of the cable networks.

I mean, he’s wrong. But he’s telling his readers what they want to hear. Y’all get back to me in 10 years and let me know how ESPN’s death has gone. The conversion to streaming will kill many networks. ESPN isn’t one of them.

 

[wildthing202]

Disney and Charter reach deal to end cable blackout in time for 'Monday Night Football'

The deal will see Disney's ad-supported streaming apps Disney+ and ESPN+ included in packages for some of Charter's Spectrum pay-TV customers.

www.cnbc.com

Deal made