Disney and Charter Communications are locked in what, at first glance, appears to be a simple negotiation over price. But the dispute over how much cable giant Charter should pay to broadcast Disney’s cable channels, which include ESPN, National Geographic, and FX, is unusual and likely to set a precedent for the media industry.
The dispute is ostensibly over carriage fees, the payments cable providers make to networks to include certain channels in the cable packages they sell to consumers. However, Charter has sought to frame the disagreement as part of a broader debate about the financial viability of cable in the streaming era.
