Disney channels are back on Spectrum after 12-day standoff
Subscribers will get access to ESPN's streaming service, plus ad-supported Disney+.
Spectrum owner Charter and Disney have resolved a dispute that prevented millions of customers from watching networks such as ABC and ESPN through their cable provider since August 31. The companies reached an agreement that features some intriguing streaming-related perks for Spectrum subscribers. Those include access to the long-awaited standalone ESPN streaming service, whenever that debuts, for those on a Spectrum TV Select plan.
Those subscribers will also have access to the ad-supported basic tier of Disney+ in the coming months, while Spectrum TV Select Plus customers will be able to check out ESPN+ as part of their plan. According to CNBC, Charter will pay higher subscriber fees to Disney.
It seems that Charter customers having access to ad-supported versions of Disney's streaming services was a point of contention between the companies before they finally reached a deal. In the meantime, Disney started offering Hulu + Live TV at a discounted rate of $50 a month for three months (the usual rate is $70) ahead of a price increase in October.
The newly forged agreement between Charter and Disney means that subscribers again have access to 19 of the latter's networks, including ABC-owned stations, the Disney Channel, FX and the Nat Geo Channel. Just in time for Monday Night Football, the full suite of ESPN networks is back as well. However, Spectrum subscribers are losing the ability to watch Baby TV, Disney Junior, Disney XD, Freeform, FXM, FXX, Nat Geo Wild and Nat Geo Mundo through the cable service.
