ESPN, Disney channels go dark for Spectrum customers in Ohio, Kentucky

Quinlan Bentley, Cincinnati Enquirer
Updated ·2 min read
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Spectrum customers have lost access to Disney-owned cable stations, including the ESPN family of networks, after the two company failed to reach an agreement over how much Spectrum pays for programming.
Spectrum customers have lost access to Disney-owned cable stations, including the ESPN family of networks, after the two company failed to reach an agreement over how much Spectrum pays for programming.

Disney-owned cable stations, including ESPN, went dark for Spectrum customers in Greater Cincinnati Thursday, coinciding with the kickoff of the 2023 college football season.

The Walt Disney Company removed its programming from Spectrum after the two companies failed to reach a deal over the price Spectrum pays for programming, the cable provider announced Thursday night.

While the the programming disruption shouldn't impact University of Cincinnati Bearcats fans planning to watch the team's first Big 12 matchup at Nippert Stadium on Saturday, which will be streamed on Big 12 Now on the ESPN+ streaming service, it will affect Spectrum customers' ability to watch other college football games.

Disney outage on Spectrum includes ESPN, Freeform

The Disney suite of channels includes the ESPN family of networks, ABC, FX, National Geographic, Disney Channel, Freeform and Baby TV, among others.

WCPO 9 (WCPO-TV), the local ABC affiliate, won't be affected, according to Spectrum.

Spectrum customers trying to access any Disney-owned channels have been met with a message that reads, "We apologize for the inconvenience and are continuing to negotiate in good faith in order to reach a fair agreement."

Why did Disney pull ESPN, other channels from Spectrum and Charter?

In a statement on its website, Spectrum contends it offered Disney a "fair deal," but the media giant demanded an excessive increase.

"We would agree to The Walt Disney Company’s significant rate increase despite their declining ratings," Charter Communications, Spectrum's parent company, said in a statement Friday morning. "But they are trying to force our customers to pay for their very expensive programming, even those customers who don’t want it or worse, can’t afford it."

Charter pays about $2.2 billion a year for the Disney suite of programming, according to Charter's website, but only 25% of Charter video subscribers "regularly engage" with Disney content.

"The current video ecosystem is broken. With The Walt Disney Company, we have proposed a model that creates better alignment for the industry and better choices for our customers. We are hopeful we can find a path forward," Charter said.

It is currently unclear if or when Disney cable programming will return to Spectrum. Disney is urging Spectrum customers to contact the cable provider.

"Disney Entertainment has a highly successful track record of negotiating with providers of all types and sizes across the country and is committed to reaching fair, market-based rates and terms," the company said on its website.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Why is ESPN not working? Disney pulls programming from Spectrum