Spectrum cable customers can’t watch Disney’s channels. Now what?

If you’re one of the nearly 15 million Spectrum cable customers, you’ll have noticed by now that you can no longer watch Disney-owned channels like ABC, Nat Geo, FX Movie Channel and ESPN. 

Basically, Spectrum and Disney are in a pricing dispute that culminated with Disney shutting off channel access to Spectrum customers on Sept. 1. 

“The rising cost of programming is the single greatest factor in higher cable TV prices. We are fighting hard to hold the line against increased programming rates that Disney continues to demand,” stated Charter Communications, Spectrum’s parent company. 

The blackout shut off access to Disney-owned channels like ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, ESPNU, ESPN News, SEC Network, ACC Network, Longhorn Network, FX, FX Movie Channel, FXX, Freeform, National Geographic, Nat Geo Wild, Nat Geo Mundo, Disney Channel, Disney Junior, Disney XD, BabyTV and ABC. It also includes on-demand programming and these local ABC stations: ABC7 Chicago, ABC7 Los Angeles, ABC7 New York, ABC7 San Francisco, ABC11 Raleigh-Durham, ABC13 Houston and ABC30 Fresno.

These rate disputes are fairly common, with a settlement being reached – eventually. But with NFL season right around the corner, will you miss the kickoff? Well, you do have some options, but unfortunately, they require some investment beyond your monthly cable bill. 

How not to miss your shows or NFL games during the Spectrum and Disney standoff:

• Streaming: You can buy monthly access to a number of streaming services for popular shows and NFL games like YouTube TV, Disney, fuboTV, Peacock, Hulu Live TV, NFL+ and DIRECTV. You can also catch Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime.
• NFL Sunday Ticket: If you’re a diehard football fan, you can avoid missing any gridiron action by buying an all-access pass to the NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube TV. Something to consider: Xfinity customers can get a deep discount on the season.
• Switch cable TV providers: Spectrum doesn’t require contracts for their services, so you could switch cable TV providers to ensure you don’t miss your favorite shows and games. Providers like Cox and Xfinity often overlap Spectrum service areas. 

Check out Allconnect’s News hub for more articles like “Streaming vs. cable” to help you find the right entertainment option to fit your needs.