New Multi-Year Deal Delivers Full Suite of Sports, News and Entertainment Networks from Walt Disney Television and ESPN to Spectrum Customers
Contemplates Future Distribution of Hulu, ESPN+, and Upcoming Disney+ Streaming Services
Will Distribute ACC Network at Launch on August 22
BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 14, 2019-- Charter Communications (NASDAQ: CHTR) and The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) today announced a comprehensive distribution agreement to continue to deliver Disney’s robust lineup of premier sports, news and entertainment content to Spectrum customers. It expands upon the previous deal and supports the companies’ mutual goal to deliver the best video content to customers across multiple platforms.
The new agreement contemplates Charter’s future distribution of Disney’s streaming services, including Hulu, ESPN+ and the soon-to-be-launched Disney+. Spectrum TV will also offer customers access to ESPN’s upcoming ACC Network when it launches on August 22. Additionally, Disney and Charter have also agreed to work together on piracy mitigation. The two companies will work together to implement business rules and techniques to address such issues as unauthorized access and password sharing.
Spectrum TV will also continue to provide its customers widespread access to ABC, 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.
Added Sean Breen, SVP, Disney Media Distribution: “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.”
Owned and operated by ESPN in partnership with the Atlantic Coast Conference, ACC Network (ACCN) is a new 24/7 national network dedicated to ACC sports set to launch August 22, 2019. Approximately 450 live contests including 40 regular-season football games, 150 men’s and women’s basketball games, and more than 200 other regular-season competitions and tournament games from across the conference’s 27 sponsored sports will be televised annually, plus a complement of news and information shows and original programming. Together, the ACCN and its digital platform, ACC Network Extra, will feature more than 1,350 ACC events in its first year. ESPN has been televising ACC content since 1979 and has exclusive rights to every conference-controlled game across all sports and championships.
All ACCN games will also be available on the ESPN app to authenticated pay TV subscribers. Fans interested in learning more about ACCN can visit www.GetACCN.com.
About Charter
Charter Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ:CHTR) is a leading broadband communications company and the second largest cable operator in the United States. Charter provides a full range of advanced residential broadband services, including Spectrum TV® programming, Spectrum Internet®, Spectrum Voice®, and Spectrum Mobile™. Under the Spectrum Business® brand, Charter provides scalable, and cost-effective broadband communications solutions to small and medium-sized business organizations, including Internet access, business telephone, and TV services. Through the Spectrum Enterprise brand, Charter is a national provider of scalable, fiber-based technology solutions serving many of America's largest businesses and communications service providers. Charter's advertising sales and production services are sold under the Spectrum Reach® brand. Charter's news and sports networks are operated under the Spectrum Networks brand. More information about Charter can be found at newsroom.charter.com.
About The Walt Disney Company
Disney, together with its subsidiaries, is a diversified worldwide entertainment company with operations in four business segments: Media Networks; Parks, Experiences and Products; Studio Entertainment; and Direct-to-Consumer and International. Disney is a Dow 30 company and had annual revenues of $59.4 billion in its Fiscal Year 2018. For more information about Disney, please visit www.thewaltdisneycompany.com.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190814005635/en/
Source: The Walt Disney Company
Media Contacts:
Karen Hobson, karen.hobson@disney.com or (818) 560-4057
Amy Phillips, amy.phillips@espn.com or (646) 547-5614
Kristie Adler, kristie.adler@espn.com or (646) 547-5637
Maureen Huff, maureen.huff@charter.com or (203) 428-0300
