OAN’s James Meyers
11:23 AM – Monday, September 11, 2023
On Monday, Disney and Charter Communications came to an agreement that ended an ongoing dispute regarding the company’s decision to black out ESPN and ABC to over 15 million viewers, just hours before the kickoff of “Monday Night Football.”
Charter, which operates Spectrum cable, came to the new agreement over carriage fees after an almost two-week standoff between Disney and them.
Additionally, the new deal will allow Charter to offer Disney+ and ESPN+ to its customers in exchange for paying higher carriage fees for Disney’s channels. Customers who purchase the Spectrum TV Select package option will receive the Disney+ basic advertising.
ESPN+ will be made available to Spectrum TV Select Plus subscribers and the ESPN flagship direct-to-consumer service will also be available for Spectrum TV Select subscribers when it is launched in the near future.
Charter representatives commented on the new options, saying it will maintain “flexibility” to offer “a range of video packages at varying price points based upon different customer viewing preferences.”
According to the Hollywood Reporter outlet, multiple Disney-owned channels will no longer be carried by Spectrum, including Freeform, Disney Junior, Disney XD, FXX and Nat Geo.
The CEOs of both companies issued a joint statement on the new agreement.
“This deal recognizes both the continued value of linear television and the growing popularity of streaming services while addressing the evolving needs of our consumers. We also want to thank our mutual customers for their patience this past week and are pleased that Spectrum viewers once again have access to Disney’s high-quality sports, news and entertainment programming, in time for Monday Night Football.”
With the news of the new agreement, both Charter and Disney’s stocks traded higher on Monday, along with rival competitors Paramount Global and Warner Bros. Discovery.
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