The Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) and Stamford-headquartered Charter Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: CHTR) have reached multi-year distribution agreement that ends their dispute which kept Disney-owned channels, including ABC and ESPN, off Charter”™s Spectrum cable television line-up.
Under the terms of the agreement, Charter will provide the Disney+ Basic ad-supported offering to customers who purchase the Spectrum TV Select package, as part of a wholesale arrangement. Disney”™s ESPN+ will be provided to Spectrum TV Select Plus subscribers and the ESPN flagship direct-to-consumer service will be made available to Spectrum TV Select subscribers upon launch.
Chater pledged to “maintain flexibility to offer a range of video packages at varying price points based upon different customer’s viewing preferences.” The company will also offer Disney’s direct-to-consumer services ”“ including Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ to all its customers, including its broadband-only customer base.
Effective immediately, the majority of Disney’s networks and stations will be immediately restored to Spectrum’s video customers. 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.
In a joint statement Disney CEO Bob Iger and Charter CEO Chris Winfrey said, “Our collective goal has always been to build an innovative model for the future. This deal recognizes both the continued value of linear television and the growing popularity of streaming services, while addressing the evolving needs of our consumers. We also want to thank 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.”
