I continue to be one of the poor souls looking at options to replace my Charter Spectrum service. Hats off to YouTubeTV for a lengthy trial period while I do this. For Spectrum and Disney shame on you both for not yet reaching a suitable deal that satisfied their customer who just want to watch their Disney-owned channels like ESPN.
These companies never truly care about their customers.
I was at my local Spectrum office today returning more equipment, and canceling more services. Their statement about the dispute? No further discounts other than a paltry $15, no apology just a flat statement about still trying and we offer streaming services.
For me, it’s a minor inconvenience, but ESPN could be in big trouble.
I’m certainly no media expert so I’ll defer to those that are.
From an article in the Washington Post by Ben Strause on the subject.
If ESPN can’t get carriage on Charter, “they will ultimately go bankrupt,” Greenfield said. “ESPN has fixed contracts with sports leagues going out a decade or more. If their revenues and advertising collapse, they don’t have a business.”
“I have been doing this for 30 years and…
— Rich Greenfield, LightShed
(@RichLightShed) September 9, 2023
Somewhat slightly more positive….
Patrick Crakes, a former Fox Sports executive turned industry consultant, said the two sides still need each other. For all its talk of broadband, Crakes said that’s a competitive business and Charter still makes money on cable. “I expect them to come to an agreement,” Crakes said.
This all seems so strange to me, as Disney owns ESPN. Why would they seemingly threaten an entity they own?
Like I said before – the one thing I’m sure about nobody seems to care about the viewers.
