Ahead of big sports weekend, dispute with Disney leaves millions of cable subscribers in the dark
A dispute between Disney and Charter Communications has left nearly 15 million Spectrum TV cable television subscribers without some of their favorite networks
A company representing nearly 15 million cable subscribers and The Walt Disney Co. blamed each other Friday for a dispute that has cut off Disney-owned stations to viewers on the eve of a big sports weekend for U.S. Open tennis and college football fans.
The dispute between Disney and Charter Communications Inc. resulted in ESPN, ABC, FX, National Geographic and Disney-branded stations going abruptly dark on Thursday night for Charter's Spectrum TV subscribers. ABC-TV was also cut in seven markets, including New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.
Both the cable company and Disney said the other side rejected short-term extensions that would have kept Spectrum subscribers' access to the networks.
Disputes that result in such service disruptions are not uncommon. This one feels bigger, both because of the number of networks and customers involved and how the companies are grappling with a rapidly changing business environment.
The plug was pulled Thursday while ESPN was carrying a college football game between Florida and No. 14 Utah, and ESPN2 was showing the U.S. Open, including the second-round match between top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz and Lloyd Harris. Charter Spectrum has 14.7 million cable customers.
Chris Winfrey, CEO of Charter Communications, said he recognized the timing was not ideal for customers.
“We've almost always avoided these kinds of disputes and disruption to your service,” Winfrey said, addressing customers in a conference call Friday. “But we had to draw a line in the sand in your behalf.”
These disputes typically involve how much money a cable
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