• Loading stock data...
Saturday, July 19, 2025

What’s Behind Disney’s $2.2 Billion Carriage Dispute With Charter?

  • A Charter victory could be the final nail in the coffin of the disintegrating pay TV bundle, warn industry experts.
  • The continuing blackout impacts over 14 million cable TV customers coast-to-coast in the country’s biggest TV markets.
ESPN camera operator at a basketball game.
Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

On Tuesday, ESPN and other channels owned by Disney remained dark on Charter’s Spectrum cable TV services for the fifth straight day. 

The continuing blackout impacts over 14 million cable TV customers coast-to-coast in the country’s biggest TV markets such as New York and Los Angeles. If the two sides don’t come to terms on a new carriage agreement, Disney will have to say goodbye to $2.2 billion in annual programming fees, warns Charter.

That’s more in one year than the $1.5 billion in licensing fees ESPN will pocket over a decade from Penn Entertainment to rebrand the Barstool Sportsbooks as “ESPN Bet.”

The stakes are high for both sides in this TV standoff. 

A Charter victory could be the final nail in the coffin of the disintegrating pay cable TV bundle, warn industry experts. But a win by Disney would keep the lucrative bundle alive for a few more years. Or at least until networks like ESPN are finally ready to go direct-to-consumer.

On Labor Day, Disney raised the ante by urging furious Spectrum customers to cut the cord and switch to Hulu + Live TV,, and reminding them they missed out on the return of college football and U.S. Open tennis over Labor Day weekend.  

“It can be infuriating to not be able to access the content you want,” Disney said in a statement. “Luckily, consumers have more choices today than ever before to immediately access the programming they want without a cable subscription.” 

Charter, ESPN Carriage Battle Intensifies For Football Season

Companies fail to make significant progress toward new deal
September 5, 2023

ESPN’s top on-air talent like Stephen A. Smith entered the fray to try to swing public opinion to Disney’s side.

“If you are personally affected, if you want to see ESPN for LIVE games, the US OPEN or anything else your heart desires from the sports world, you can visit this website http://keepmynetworks.com for information about where you can get it,” tweeted Smith. “Bottom Line: YOU HAVE CHOICES!!!”

But the nation’s second-largest cable operator has also come out swinging.

“We are disappointed that thus far they have insisted on unsustainable price hikes and forcing customers to take their products, even when they don’t want or can’t afford them,” said Charter in a statement. “They also want to require customers to pay twice to get content apps with the linear video they have already paid for.”

In the tit-for-tat war, Spectrum is also offering its customers a 30% discount to the Fubo streaming service for two months so they can watch ESPN. 

Carriage disputes between cable operators and programming providers happen all the time. Typically both sides talk tough — then cut a deal at the deadline. But the impasse between Charter and Disney is unusual. 

“Has the traditional TV ecosystem reached its proverbial tipping point?” asked media analyst Richard Greenfield of LightShed Partners. “If ESPN is permanently gone from Charter, there will be a massive snowball effect that is catastrophic for traditional TV companies.”

Disney will never have more leverage than it does this week: In just six days, ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” will televise Aaron Rodgers’ eagerly awaited regular season debut for the New York Jets against the Buffalo Bills. 

But Charter’s not budging in its quest to fix what it calls a “broken” cable model. That’s a sign even the biggest and best content providers like Disney don’t have as much leverage as they used to. And a signal that cable operators like Charter are ready to abandon video entirely in favor of more lucrative broadband and wireless businesses.

As Charter chief executive officer Chris Winfrey warned: “We’re on the edge of a precipice. We’re either moving forward with a new collaborative video model — or we’re moving on.” 

Tim Cook CEO of Apple

Apple Wants To Be a Force in Live Sports. Buying ESPN Could..

Historically choosy with acquisitions, Apple can kick the door down in sports.
August 18, 2023

It comes at an awkward time for Disney, which just finished slashing 7,000 in jobs and $5.5 billion in costs. ESPN is also gearing up for billion-dollar negotiations to defend its NBA media rights, which expire in 2025.

“The collateral damage could be wide-ranging from sports leagues with rights coming up for renewal, local TV station affiliates seeking material step-ups and creative talent tied to the programming investments made by linear networks,” warned MoffettNathanson analysts Michael Nathanson and Craig Moffett.

If Disney/ESPN and Warner Bros Discovery Sports/TNT can’t retain their rights during an exclusive negotiation window, the league could throw the bidding open to deep-pocketed tech giants like Amazon, Apple, and Google. 

Amazon Prime Video, in particular, is interested in landing a designated night of NBA programming similar to its 11-year, $11 billion deal with the NFL to exclusively stream “Thursday Night Football” outside of local markets.

Once NBA talks are completed, ESPN will have to pivot to expensive rights negotiations for the WWE and College Football Playoff.

ESPN referred calls to Disney, which cited its blog post on the dispute. Charter could not be reached for comment.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Ryan Field Construction
exclusive

First Look Inside Northwestern’s $862 Million New Ryan Field

Five big things FOS learned on our exclusive stadium tour.
Feb 7, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Calais Campbell (middle) receives the NFLPA Alan Page Community Award from executive director Lloyd Howell (left) and president) JC Tretter (right) at the NFLPA Press Conference at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center prior to Super Bowl LVIII.

What Comes Next After NFLPA Chief’s Sudden Resignation?

Howell quit on his own accord; he was not forced out.

New NFLPA Head Will Face Multibillion-Dollar Decisions

The next NFLPA leader will wrestle with a series of pressing issues.

Featured Today

Jul 21, 2024; Ayrshire, SCT; Xander Schauffele celebrates with Claret Jug after winning the Open Championship golf tournament at Royal Troon.

The Boozy History and Traditions of The Open’s Claret Jug

The Open awards the world’s most famous wine decanter.
2025 PDC World Darts Championship Final - Luke Littler vs Michael Van Gerwen
July 16, 2025

A Teen Darts Prodigy Is Becoming Bigger Than the Game Itself

Luke ‘The Nuke’ Littler is cashing in on his devastatingly accurate shot.
May 31, 2025; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Sydney McLaughin-Levrone (USA) reacts before the women's 100m hurdles during the Grand Slam Track Philadelphia at Franklin Field
exclusive
July 13, 2025

Track’s New Money Is Running Into Old Problems

The sport’s big-money era has hit some speed bumps in 2025.
Bobbleheads are seen at Vintage Indy Sports, Tuesday, April 29, 2025 in Speedway. The local sports memorabilia store opened recently.
July 12, 2025

Baseball’s Bobbleheads Are the Center of the Collectibles Universe

Baseball’s most important keepsake drives long lines—and big business.

Netflix Beats Projections Again—and Plots Big Holiday Sports Slate

The streaming giant again beats analyst projections in every respect.
Jul 15, 2025; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; National League designated hitter Kyle Schwarber (12) of the Philadelphia Phillies hits a home run in the swing off of after the 2025 MLB All Star Game ended in a tie at Truist Park.
July 16, 2025

MLB All-Star Game Viewership Dips Despite Historic Swing-Off

Game viewership falls 3% despite late dramatics in the unique tiebreaker.
July 17, 2025

ESPN Bidding Against NBC, Apple for MLB Rights Package

The league continues to negotiate with multiple media-rights bidders.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

Dealmaker Jeffrey Kaplan maps the evolution of sports as an asset class
July 15, 2025

MLB Home Run Derby Draws 5.7M Viewers on ESPN, Up 5%

ESPN reverses the trend from last year and registers audience growth.
July 15, 2025

WNBA Hits Fourth-Highest ABC Viewership With Clark-Bueckers Duel

Clark missed the first Fever vs. Wings game with an injury.
Brittney Griner and Caitlin Clark
exclusive
July 15, 2025

‘Good Morning America’ Will Air From WNBA All-Star in First

The All-Star Game’s relevance has exploded with the league in recent years.
NBC Sports
exclusive
July 14, 2025

NBC Hiring Ex-Hawks Exec Grant Liffmann As NBA Front Office Insider

Liffmann spent the last three years with Atlanta after covering the Warriors.