• Loading stock data...
Sunday, July 6, 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

American Celebs Want to Be Sports Owners. Soccer Is Where They Start

As U.S. team prices climb, investors set their sights abroad.

Baseball’s Celebrity Row: Behind MLB’s First-Pitch Ritual

Often planned, sometimes spontaneous, the ritual throw is baseball’s celebrity row.
Jul 2, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani (17) heads to the dugout prior to the first inning against the Chicago White Sox at Dodger Stadium.

MLB Changes Are ‘Showing Great Results’: Former CFO

Big stars playing in major markets “make a real difference.”

3,000 Hot Dogs, $20K in Prizes: Behind the Nathan’s Eating Contest

Nathan’s serves up thousands of hot dogs and $20,000 in prize money.

Featured Today

Geoffrey Esper Can’t Catch a Break at Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest

“Hot dogs is not one of my favorite competitions of the year.”
June 29, 2025

The Battle Over Wimbledon’s Ambitious Expansion Plan

A classic NIMBY standoff on one of the most hallowed grounds in sports.
Seattle Rough & Tumble
June 28, 2025

Women’s Sports Bars Are on the Rise. Survival Isn’t Guaranteed

Some women’s sports bars are cashing in. Others are clawing for funding.
June 27, 2025

Shitposters Have Taken the Reins of Pro Sports’ Official Voices

Meet the social media pros turning sports teams into internet trolls.

Paramount Settles Trump Suit Ahead of NFL Season, Skydance Merger

The deal likely allows the much larger Skydance merger deal to proceed.
June 24, 2025

Fever vs. Aces Draws 5th-Largest TV Audience of 2025 WNBA Season

ESPN will carry seven more Indiana Fever games this year.
Leo Messi
June 27, 2025

TNT, Club World Cup Ride Messi to Surprisingly Solid Debut Ratings

TNT Sports carries about a third of matches in the U.S.
Sponsored

Hottest Matchups Following NFL Schedule Release

The NFL released the 2025 regular-season schedule, and anticipation is already building in the ticket marketplace with four months to go.
June 23, 2025

NBA Finals Game 7 Is Most-Watched Since 2019, but Series Drops 9%

Game 7 drew 16.35 million viewers, the most-watched NBA game since 2019.
June 19, 2025

Pacers Force Game 7, Could Spark Big Ratings Boost for NBA Finals

Game 7 could boost NBA Finals ratings after a slow start this year.
June 17, 2025

Stanley Cup Final Delivers Drama but Struggles for Eyeballs in U.S.

U.S. viewership fell while Canadian audiences for the event rose slightly.
June 17, 2025

Streaming Tops Linear for First Time, Sports Still Key to TV’s Resilience

Streaming hits another critical milestone in an accelerating media transition.