Disney-owned networks and channels including ESPN and ABC have gone dark for subscribers of the service Charter Spectrum.
In a blog post, Charter explained that the Walt Disney Company removed their programming from the service, claiming that Disney is "demanding an excessive increase" in carriage fees.
Charter Spectrum is the second largest cable TV service in the United States and the removal of Disney-owned cable networks comes at a time when several sporting events, such as the U.S. Open tennis tournament, and right before the start of NFL and college football.
Charter explained how Disney wants to channel bundle, a tactic where a company forces a cable provider to carry and pay for less popular/less viewed channels in exchange for access to more widely popular channels.
"The rising cost of programming is the single greatest factor in higher cable TV prices," Charter explained in the post. "And we are fighting hard to hold the line on programming rates imposed on us by companies like Disney."
This would not be Disney's first time keeping its channels off a service. In 2021 YouTube TV subscribers lost access to Disney networks for two days after the two companies failed to strike a new deal. A similar incident occurred in 2022 between Disney and Dish.
Image Credit: SOPA Images / Contributor
Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.
