There’s no “blackout” worries for any ABC O&Os seen by viewers across Charter Communications’ Spectrum cable TV services.
Charter and The Walt Disney Company have inked “a comprehensive distribution agreement” that expands the previous deal. It includes the Aug. 22 launch of The ACC Network.
The new agreement also “contemplates” Charter’s future distribution of Disney’s streaming services, including Hulu, ESPN+ and the soon-to-be-launched Disney+.
Additionally, Disney and Charter have also agreed to work together on piracy mitigation. Specifically, the two companies will work together to implement business rules and techniques to address such issues as unauthorized access and password sharing.
With the new pact, Spectrum TV will continue to provide its customers access to ABC-owned stations, plus cable offerings Disney Channel, Disney Junior, Disney XD, Freeform, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Goal Line, ESPN Bases Loaded, SEC Network, Longhorn Network, and the newly acquired networks of FX, FXX, FXM, Fox Life, National Geographic, Nat Geo Wild, Nat Geo Mundo, and BabyTV.
“This agreement will allow Spectrum to continue delivering to its customers popular Disney content, makes possible future distribution by Spectrum of Disney streaming services, and will begin an important collaborative effort to address the significant issue of piracy mitigation,” said Tom Montemagno, EVP/Programming Acquisition for Charter.
Sean Breen, SVP of Disney Media Distribution, added, “Our new agreement with Charter allows us to continue serving Spectrum TV customers with the full value of the Walt Disney Television and ESPN networks, including the newly acquired FX and Nat Geo networks. ACC fans can also rest assured that they will be able to watch their favorite teams on Spectrum, one of the largest distributors across the ACC footprint, when ACC Network launches next week.”
