Charter Communications, the parent company of Spectrum, has finally broken its silence regarding the recent dispute with media giant Disney. In a public statement, Charter CFO Jessica Fischer declared that the deal struck between the two parties not only achieved their objectives, but also resulted in lower subscriber losses than originally expected.
Fischer expressed her satisfaction with the outcome, revealing that the TV subscriber losses incurred during the outage were “much less than what we anticipated.” Furthermore, she emphasized that the impact on their internet subscribers was negligible, describing it as “very, very small.” In her closing remarks, Fischer confidently stated, “We’ve come out the other side of this doing well from a consumer perspective.”
Charter’s success in resolving the conflict with Disney has attracted the attention of other companies in the industry. The question now arises as to what other concessions could be obtained from Disney or other companies in similar disputes. Spectrum’s ability to convince Disney to drop eight networks from its lineup, while also securing free access to Disney+ and ESPN+ for its subscribers, has left other providers intrigued.
This triumph for Spectrum may lead to an increase in blackout incidents in the short term. Various cable TV companies have reportedly been closely observing this battle, hoping to emulate Spectrum’s approach in reducing the number of channels they offer and incorporating streaming services for their cable subscribers.
As part of their agreement with Disney, Spectrum will no longer carry channels such as Freeform, FXM, FXX, Disney Junior, Disney XD, Baby TV, Nat Geo Wild, and Net Geo Mundo. However, Spectrum customers will still have access to most of the content through Disney+, which will be provided for free to subscribers later this year.
The conclusion of this dispute marks a significant milestone for Spectrum, positioning them favorably in the constantly evolving media landscape. As other companies strive to adapt to changing consumer preferences, all eyes are on Spectrum’s success in securing a favorable outcome and navigating a new era of television and streaming services.
