Disney bringing ESPN back to Charter Spectrum in time for âMonday Night Footballâ
Charter Communications and Disney have ended their cable stalemate, which froze out viewers seeking everything from college football to local ABC affiliates.
In a joint statement, the two companies thanked “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.”
The blackout began Aug. 31 for approximately 15 million subscribers, according to The Hollywood Reporter, when Walt Disney Co. pulled its channels from Charter Spectrum’s pay-TV service in a festering distribution fee dispute.
According to a news release, the Disney+ Basic ad-supported offering will be provided to customers in the coming months who purchase the Spectrum TV Select package, as part of a wholesale arrangement.
Spectrum TV Select Plus subscribers will receive ESPN+, as well as the ESPN flagship direct-to-consumer service upon launch. Charter will offer a “range of video packages at varying price points based upon different customer’s viewing preferences.”
Charter also will offer Disney’s direct-to-consumer services to all of its customers for purchase at retail rates, which includes Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+, as well as The Disney Bundle.
Effective immediately, Spectrum TV will provide its customers access to a “more curated” lineup of 19 networks from The Walt Disney Company. Spectrum will continue to carry the ABC-owned television stations, Disney Channel, FX and the Nat Geo Channel, in addition to all the ESPN networks.
Networks that will no longer be included in Spectrum TV video packages are Baby TV, Disney Junior, Disney XD, Freeform, FXM, FXX, Nat Geo Wild, and Nat Geo Mundo.