Disney and Charter reach deal to return ESPN, ABC and other Disney channels to Spectrum
Following a more than 10-day ESPN and ABC station blackout that infuriated customers, Walt Disney Co. and cable giant Charter Communications reached a truce that will restore Disney channels to the Spectrum pay-TV service.
The companies put the finishing touches on a new agreement Monday morning that allows Charter to distribute Disney’s ad-supported streaming apps — including Disney+ and ESPN+ — along with Spectrum’s television service. Charter will eventually be able to offer the ESPN channel as a streaming add-on when Disney takes that service directly to consumers.
Nine Disney channels, including Freeform, will be dropped from the Spectrum lineup.
The breakthrough on the comprehensive pact came hours before a highly anticipated “Monday Night Football” matchup on ESPN featuring quarterback Aaron Rodgers leading his new team, the New York Jets, against the Buffalo Bills. Charter’s largest market is New York City, where customers also were shut out of ESPN’s coverage for much of the U.S. Open tennis championships in Queens.
“This is the most modern deal that we’ve ever done,” Dana Walden, co-chairman of Disney Entertainment, said in a brief interview Monday.