Disney Channels like ABC and ESPN Have Now Vanished from One Provider

Many cable TV subscribers are very upset because Disney-owned channels have gone dark. See why all this is happening.

Disney Has Gone Dark

Disney is available to many subscribers via cable. In fact, many people access Disney’s family of channels through Spectrum. For those unfamiliar with it, Spectrum is the second largest provider in the United States. It has around 14.7 million subscribers.

August 31, 2023, brought about a shocking occurrence for Spectrum subscribers. Many channels blacked out in the middle of programs. All Disney-owned channels including ABC, ESPN, FX, and Freeform and so much more just vanished.

The blackout happened at a terrible time. It interrupted the US Open during Carlos Alcaraz’s match as well as the NCAA football game between the University of Florida and Utah. Fans all over will tell you, one does not simply mess with the SEC.

As you can imagine, countless people are frustrated and confused.

What Channels Are Impacted?

According to Spectrum, the blackout impacts the following: ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, ESPNU, ESPN News, SEC Network, ACC Network, Longhorn Network, FX, FX Movie Channel, FXX, Freeform, National Geographic, Nat Geo Wild, Nat Geo Mundo, Disney Channel, Disney Junior, Disney XD, BabyTV

It also impacts ABC On Demand programming and the following local ABC stations: ABC7 Chicago, ABC7 Los Angeles, ABC7 New York, ABC7 San Francisco, ABC11 Raleigh-Durham, ABC13 Houston, ABC30 Fresno.

Why is This Happening?

Charter Communications, which owns Spectrum, and Disney have been in negotiations to reach an agreement for rates Charter will pay to continue to provide Spectrum subscribers access to Disney-owned channels.

Disney stated, “Disney Entertainment has successful deals in place with pay-TV providers of all types and sizes across the country, and the rates and terms we are seeking in this renewal are driven by the marketplace. We’re committed to reaching a mutually agreed upon resolution with Charter and we urge them to work with us to minimize the disruption to their customers.”

Spectrum and Disney cannot reach an agreement.

Clearly, a negotiation was NOT reached. Spectrum posted a statement for customers who want to know why the Disney-owned channels vanished:

“The Walt Disney Company has removed their programming from Spectrum which creates hardship for our customers. We offered Disney a fair deal, yet they are demanding an excessive increase. They also want to limit our ability to provide greater customer choice in programming packages forcing you to take and pay for channels you may not want. Spectrum is on your side and fighting to keep costs down while protecting and maximizing customer choice. The rising cost of programming is the single greatest factor in higher cable TV prices, and we are fighting hard to hold the line on programming rates imposed on us by companies like Disney. We apologize for the inconvenience.”

Negotiations are still in the works. Hopefully, Spectrum and Disney will strike an agreement soon for the sake of customers.

Are you a Spectrum subscriber? Does the disappearance of all the Disney-owned channels impact you? Let us know in the comments. And, feel free to pass this along to subscribers you know so that they understand what is happening.