Televisions
screens across the United States that should be showing the
US Open are blank
due to a dispute between Disney and the company behind TV provider Spectrum.
Customers
began noticing the blackout on Thursday when switching on their TVs for the
start of the night's standout college football game between the Florida Gators
and the Utah Utes. The shock was sizeable as viewers could not tune in to see
the nation's No. 14 team blowout their cross-conference opponents to start the
season.
Anger has
only grown throughout Friday as the ESPN blackout continues, meaning many are
missing out on all the action underway at Flushing Meadows. The United States
Tennis Association (USTA) is equally unamused by the situation:
"We're
very disappointed for our fans and viewers around the country that Spectrum and
Charter could not resolve their dispute with Disney, resulting in a loss of
ESPN coverage of Thursday night's matches. We're very hopeful that this dispute
can be resolved as quickly as possible."
However,
Spectrum has explained its position in a message displayed on television
screens:
“The Walt
Disney Company, the owner of this channel has removed their programming from
Spectrum which creates hardship for our cosstumers. We apologize for the inconvenience
and are continuing to negotiate in good faith n order to reh a fair agreement.”
ESPN is one
of several Disney entertainment channels that have gone dark on Charter
Spectrum cable systems.
The
channels went off the air Thursday night due to a carriage dispute between the
nation's second-largest cable TV provider, which is the major carrier in New
York and Los Angeles, among numerous other markets, and Disney.
ESPN was
carrying a college football game between Florida and No. 14 Utah while ESPN2
was showing the U.S. Open tennis tournament, including the second-round match
between top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz and Lloyd Harris, when the channels went dark
for Charter Spectrum's 14.7 million subscribers.
