Disney and Charter Resolve Cable Blackout, Restoring ESPN and ABC for 'Monday Night Football'

Disney and Charter Communications have reached a new agreement to end the ESPN and ABC station blackout, restoring Disney channels to the Spectrum pay-TV service. The deal requires Charter to pay higher fees to distribute Disney programming and allows Charter to offer Disney's ad-supported streaming apps, including Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+. Charter will also be able to offer the ESPN channel as a streaming add-on in the future. The agreement acknowledges the shift towards on-demand streaming and the popularity of streaming services. Disney ceded ground by giving up some of its linear TV channels, but its ESPN sports channels will continue to be offered in Spectrum packages. The deal preserves the cable bundle for now and positions both companies for the digital streaming future.