Walt Disney Co. made the decision to remove its channels, which include ABC stations and ESPN, from Charter Spectrum's pay-TV service. This move was a result of an ongoing dispute over distribution fees and affected nearly 15 million subscriber households across the nation.
Disney issued a statement explaining the situation, stating that they had been engaged in continuous negotiations with Charter Communications but had not yet reached an agreement on a new market-based contract. Consequently, Spectrum TV subscribers were no longer able to access Disney's extensive lineup of live sporting events, news coverage, as well as children's, family, and general entertainment programming.
The blackout of Disney's channels, including KABC-TV Channel 7 in Los Angeles, ESPN networks, FX, Freeform, and National Geographic, occurred around 5 p.m. Pacific time. This sudden disruption left Spectrum subscribers without access to popular shows like "Jeopardy" "Wheel of Fortune" and KABC-TV's "Eyewitness News."
The timing of this cutoff was particularly unfortunate for sports fans, as it coincided with the first week of the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York. Additionally, the much-anticipated college football games.