The cost of traditional TV has steadily increased, often leading to streaming platforms either raising prices, or removing channels. This evening, Spectrum has opted to black out all ESPN and Disney channels for subscribers amid a controversy with the “House of Mouse” that has put YouTube TV in the spotlight for a moment.
This evening, Spectrum (owned by Charter) began blacking out all Disney-owned channels such as ESPN, ABC, FX, National Geographic, Disney Channel, Freeform and others. When customers attempt to view these channels, they see a banner that does not state that the channels are unreachable, but informs customers that Disney is “seeking a steep increase” in programming costs. doing.
On the landing page, Spectrum states:
The Walt Disney Company has removed its programming from Spectrum which has caused hardship for our customers.
We Offered Disney a Fair Deal, Still They’re Demanding It Excessive increase. They also seek to limit our ability to offer customers more choice in programming packages, forcing you to pick up and pay for channels you don’t want.
Spectrum is on your side, struggling to keep costs down while protecting and maximizing customer choice. The rising cost of programming is one of the biggest reasons for the high prices of cable TV, and we’re working hard to stop the programming rates forced on us by companies like Disney.
We apologize for the inconvenience.
As a result of a sudden and (mostly) unexpected blackout, it’s Google’s YouTube TV that’s started trending on twitter/x and other platforms as an alternative to Spectrum. As of today, YouTube TV still has full access to Disney channels, including the affected ESPN channels. However, notably, YouTube TV also had a brief feud with Disney, causing ESPN and other Disney-owned channels to shut down for a few days before returning.
ESPN’s blackout caused a particularly furore because the blackout occurred right after the first week of the college football season began, with ESPN airing tonight’s Florida vs. Utah game that began as soon as the blackout went into effect.
The full list of affected Disney-owned channels on Spectrum includes:
- ESPN
- ESPN2
- ESPN Deportes
- ESPNU
- espn news
- SEC Network
- acc network
- longhorn network
- fx
- fx movie channel
- fxx
- free form
- National Geographic
- Nat Geo Wild
- nat geo mundo
- disney channel
- Disney Junior
- Disney XD
- babytv
- ABC7 Chicago
- ABC7 Los Angeles
- ABC7 New York
- ABC7 San Francisco
- ABC11 Raleigh-Durham
- ABC13 Houston
- ABC30 Fresno
Oh hell no. WTF Spectrum? You’re about to find out what it’s like to lose customers en masse. You don’t mess with college football on opening night. youtube tv here we come. pic.twitter.com/mKh77GCHj0
— Matt Barcus (@MattBarcus) 1 September 2023
in a statement to hollywood reporterDisney says:
We have been in talks with Charter Communications for some time and have not yet agreed to a new market-based agreement. Disney Entertainment has made successful deals with pay TV providers of all types and sizes across the country, and the rates and terms we’re seeking in this renewal are market-driven. We remain committed to reaching a mutually agreeable solution with Charter and we urge them to work with us to minimize disruption to their customers.
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