US Open: Carlos Alcaraz game against Lloyd Harris goes BLACKED OUT on ESPN2 for Charter Spectrum customers in the US along with the college football game between Florida and Utah
- Carlos Alcaraz easily defeated Lloyd Harris at the US Open on Thursday evening
- But some fans couldn’t see it because of a dispute involving Disney
- DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news
Charter Spectrum cable customers who wanted to watch Carlos Alcaraz’s US Open match on Thursday night faced a blackout on ESPN2.
The channel went off the air because of a transportation dispute between the second largest cable TV provider in the US – the main carrier in New York and Los Angeles, among others – and Disney, owner of ESPN.
ESPN, which aired a college football game between Florida and No. 14 Utah, also went out for Charter Spectrum’s 14.7 million subscribers.
There were also college football games on SEC Network, ACC Network, and ESPNU.
This move angered sports fans, and the US Tennis Association was not happy with the timing.
“We are deeply disappointed for our fans and viewers across the country that Spectrum and Charter were unable to resolve their dispute with Disney, resulting in the loss of ESPN coverage of Thursday night’s games.
“We are hopeful that this dispute can be resolved as soon as possible,” USTA spokesman Chris Widmaier said in a statement.
Fans hoping to see Carlos Alcaraz via Charter Spectrum on Thursday were in for an unpleasant surprise
Both Charter Spectrum and Walt Disney Co. state in statements that the negotiations have been going on for some time.
In addition to all the ESPN network channels, ABC stations, Disney channels, Freeform, FX, and National Geographic channels have also gone dark on Charter Spectrum.
“Disney Entertainment has made successful deals with pay TV providers of all shapes and sizes across the country, and the rates and terms we seek in this renewal are determined by the market,” Disney Entertainment said in a statement.
“We are committed to reaching a mutually agreed solution with Charter and we urge them to work with us to minimize disruption to their customers.”
Charter Spectrum replied, “We offered Disney a fair deal, yet they are demanding an outrageous markup.”
Florida’s college football game against Utah was also blacked out to Charter Spectrum viewers
Alcaraz reached the third round on Thursday by beating South African Lloyd Harris
“They also want to limit our ability to provide the customer with greater choice in programming packages, forcing you to take and pay for channels that you may not want. Rising programming costs are the main driver of higher cable TV prices, and we are fighting hard to keep up with the programming rates that companies like Disney are imposing on us.”
ESPN traditionally has the highest carrier rates for cable companies. According to S&P Global, Disney will receive an average of $2.2 billion a year from transportation through Charter Spectrum under the 2019 transportation agreement.
Other cities where Charter Spectrum is the main cable operator are Dallas/Fort Worth; Orlando, Florida; Tampa, Florida; Kansas City, Missouri; St Louis; Cleveland; Cincinnati; Milwaukee; and Vegas.
With many unhappy fans unable to watch the match, Alcaraz defeated Lloyd Harris in straight sets to advance to the third round.
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