Disney Channels Pulled From Charter Spectrum Last Night

Last night, Disney pulled its channels from the cable provider Charter Spectrum amidst demands for more money. Apparently, they did so in the middle of various sporting events being covered on ESPN, including the US Open and a couple of college football games. Frankly, it sounds like an intentional move to try and leverage angry customer backlash to get what they want.

According to Charter Communications, Disney is allegedly demanding a new long-term contract that raises rates and provides “limited packaging flexibility, with the cable provider claims will significantly raise costs on their subscribers and will “saddle” them with channels they may not want but will have to pay for.

It seems that they have been trying to negotiate with Disney, but Disney instead declined and pulled their channels on August 31, “coincidentally,” during major sporting events.

Of course, Disney Entertainment says that they should pay up like everyone else they’ve raised prices on so far.

Disney “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.”

The House Of Mouse claims that rates are “driven by the marketplace.” I would argue that their rates are driven by their need to raise prices on everyone to offset their overspending, poor decisions, and losses in various sectors of the company, but I digress.

If Disney wants to win back support and goodwill, turning ESPN off during big sporting events and shutting down service to over 14 million customers might not be the best way to go about it.

What do you think? Comment and let us know!

Source: CNN