It does not sound like a resolution to the standoff between Disney and Spectrum is anywhere in sight. Chris Winfrey, Charter Cable’s CEO had some strong words for the entertainment giant on Thursday at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia + Tech Conference in San Francisco.
“If I had anything material to highlight, I would,” he said. “So that should tell you something.”
He told the audience that Disney doesn’t seem motivated to get a deal done to get ESPN, ABC and its other TV networks back in front of Spectrum subscribers. He said that the company will let its “linear programming house burn to the ground.”
Joe Flint of the Wall Street Journal was in attendance at the event. He writes that Winfrey is very aware that the current model for his business is in some trouble. He said that Charter is tired of paying high carriage rates for channels that are not delivering the ratings for Spectrum that they used to.
He also says the company is committed to making big changes to the traditional cable business. In fact, he is optimistic that the longer a fight with Disney drags on, the more power it gives Charter over ESPN.
“The average customer who remains isn’t going to be a sports customer,” he said. “If we’re moving on, that’s OK.”
Winfrey said that Charter’s position is that the exorbitant carriage fees that Disney is asking for will be passed on to consumers who may not care if the networks are available to them or not and that the ones that do care will be forced to pay them twice if they were to sign up for one of the company’s streaming services – Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+.
The Walt Disney Company did not wait long. The ESPN PR department issued a statement on behalf of the company after Winfrey’s speech concluded.
“As the US Open reaches the men’s and women’s finals, and fans gear up for a weekend of college football and the opening of the NFL season, it’s unfortunate that Charter decided to abandon their consumers by denying them access to our great programming,” it reads. “While they have stated their ‘indifference’ to the needs of millions of paying customers, we will not lose sight of what is most important – investing in the highest-quality stories, news and sports for our audience. The question for Charter is clear: Do you care about your subscribers and what they’re telling you they want – or not? Disney stands ready to resolve this dispute and do what’s in the best interest of Charter’s customers.”
