ESPN blacked out due to Spectrum-Disney dispute

CHARLOTTE — Some college football fans in the Charlotte area were disappointed Thursday night after the Florida-Utah game suddenly went to black.

We’ve learned there’s an argument over how much money Spectrum pays ESPN and Disney for their network broadcasts.

It impacts those networks, but it does not impact ABC programming or Channel 9.

Charter Communications released a statement regarding the Disney Dispute saying:

“We are disappointed with The Walt Disney Company’s decision to remove their networks from our lineup and deny our customers the opportunity to watch.

We would agree to The Walt Disney Company’s significant rate increase despite their declining ratings. But they are trying to force our customers to pay for their very expensive programming, even those customers who don’t want it or worse, can’t afford it.

The current video ecosystem is broken. With The Walt Disney Company, we have proposed a model that creates better alignment for the industry and better choices for our customers. We are hopeful we can find a path forward.”

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