Charter CEO Chris Winfrey Reports Little Progress In Carriage Talks With Disney, Says A Leaner TV Bundle “Could Stick” With Spectrum Customers
deadline.comCharter CEO Chris Winfrey indicated that little progress has been made in the week-long carriage fight with Disney and he said a leaner, ESPN-free TV bundle “could stick” with price-sensitive Spectrum customers.
The exec gave an update on the epic distribution battle during a keynote session at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia + Tech Conference in San Francisco. “If I had anything material to highlight, I would,” he said of the negotiations. “So that should tell you something.” Eighteen Disney cable networks and eight ABC stations went dark last Thursday evening for Spectrum’s nearly 15 million customers after the parties were unable to reach a carriage renewal. “The video ecosystem is broken,” Winfrey declared during an investor call last Friday, adding ominously that “this is not a typical carriage dispute.” The rift between the No.
2 U.S. cable operator and the sports programmer in ESPN that invented the concept of carriage fees 40-plus years ago has captivated the industry, with several other CEOs weighing in on it earlier in the conference.
Winfrey reinforced his conviction that Charter is committed to pursuing a permanent shift away from the traditional cable TV business if a Disney renewal is not reached.
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