Disney Threatens To Pull ESPN, ABC From Optimum

Walt Disney Co has threatened to pull its programming from the fourth largest U.S. cable distributor, Altice USA, if the two parties cannot reach a deal before the end of the month, the cable company said on Sunday.

Reuters reports New York-based Altice, which is owned by a European conglomerate and is better known as Optimum, said Disney had asked it for “hundreds of millions of dollars” in new fees to be able to continue carrying ESPN and ABC, even as ratings suffer.

The two parties have been working on a new contract to replace the one that expires at the end of the month, and Walt Disney has warned customers that its channels will go dark on Oct. 1 if a new deal is not worked out, according to media reports.

“We are always working hard to negotiate carriage agreements that reflect the best interest of all our customers. We want to carry ESPN and its sister networks, including ABC and Disney, at a reasonable rate and have already offered an increase in retransmission fees and sports programming costs,” Altice said in a statement emailed to Reuters on Sunday.

The majority of Altice’s customers live in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and parts of Pennsylvania.

Disputes between cable companies and media groups over the cost of carrying channels are common, but the dispute marks the first time a cable company has pushed back at increased fees for ESPN, the most popular sports network.

The typical customer pays $160 or more each month for service to Altice, she said.

Altice charges its customers $34, which is more than 15 times the amount Disney is seeking for the market’s most watched station, WABC, she added.