Disney, Charter Reach Agreement to Bring ESPN Back to Spectrum Just Hours Ahead of Monday Night Football

Adam Hunger/AP

It looks The Walt Disney Company and Charter Communications will beat the clock after all.

Just hours before the first Monday Night Football of the NFL season, the two companies have reached a deal to bring various Disney-owned channels back to Spectrum after they were pulled from the cable provider on Labor Day Weekend, CNBC reported.

The sudden pulling of more than a dozen channels was the result of contract negotiations falling through in August. Because of the price Charter was paying to include Disney’s channels in its cable bundles, Charter demanded the inclusion of Disney’s streaming services at no additional cost to the consumer. In response, Disney argued that its live TV channels and direct-to-consumer services provide their own exclusive content.

That all came to a head Labor Day Weekend when Spectrum subscribers — many tuned in to college football and tennis’s U.S. Open — suddenly experienced blackouts on some of their favorite channels. It affected approximately 15 million people.

Last week, there was little optimism that a deal could get done before this season’s first Monday Night Football. Now, Disney and Charter will able to take full advantage of what should be ratings gold: Aaron Rodgers’ debut with the New York Jets against Josh Allen and Buffalo Bills in front of a national audience.

According to CNBC, Disney did sweeten the deal for Charter. Spectrum subscribers will pay a “discounted wholesale price” for Disney’s streaming services — which includes Disney+, ESPN+. and Hulu. In a statement, Disney laid out some of the key points of the agreement:

-In the coming months, the Disney+ Basic ad-supported offering will be provided to customers who purchase the Spectrum TV Select package, as part of a wholesale arrangement.
-ESPN+ will be provided to Spectrum TV Select Plus subscribers.
-The ESPN flagship direct-to-consumer service will be made available to Spectrum TV Select subscribers when it launches.
-Charter will maintain flexibility to offer a range of video packages at varying price points based upon different customer viewing preferences.