Many people were surprised to see ESPN going dark on Charter Spectrum due to the dispute the cable TV provider has with The Walt Disney Company. But what happened between Spectrum and Disney? And what are the channels that went dark? Here’s what you need to know.
What happened in the Spectrum-Disney dispute?
Charter Communications and Disney Entertainment failed to reach a new carriage agreement.
Carriage agreements are contracts between cable or satellite TV providers (like Spectrum) and content providers (like Disney) that determine the terms under which the cable provider can carry the content provider’s channels. The blackout occurred during critical events like the U.S. Open tennis tournament and a college football game. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the current situation affects 14.7 million subscribers.
Disney and Charter Spectrum were unable to agree on a new market-based agreement. Disney defended its position, stating that the rates and terms they sought aligned with industry standards and that they aimed to reach a mutually agreed resolution. Spectrum accused Disney of demanding excessive fee increases and limiting customer choice in programming packages, forcing subscribers to pay for unwanted channels. They also highlighted rising programming costs driving higher cable TV prices.
What are the channels involved?
Here is the list of the channels involved in the Spectrum-Disney dispute:
- ESPN
- ABC
- FX
- Freeform
- Disney Channel
- ESPN 2
- ESPNU
- ESPN News
- National Geographic
- Disney Junior
- Disney XD
- Local ABC stations in various markets, including ABC7 Chicago, ABC7 Los Angeles, ABC7 New York, ABC7 San Francisco, ABC11 Raleigh-Durham, ABC13 Houston, and ABC30 Fresno.
These channels cover a wide range of content, from sports to entertainment and family programming. The blackout of these channels during the dispute affected many Spectrum subscribers who relied on them for various forms of entertainment and information.
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