Why is ESPN not working on Spectrum? Explaining the Disney dispute causing college football outage

Dan Treacy

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Why is ESPN not working on Spectrum? Explaining the Disney dispute causing college football outage image

College football fans got a taste of football in Week 0, but Week 1 is when the madness really begins. Unfortunately, Spectrum customers were hit with some of the worst possible news when they settled in to watch Utah host Florida on Thursday: ESPN was unavailable.

ESPN and its family of networks went dark on Spectrum at about 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, just as Florida vs. Utah was starting up. The timing could not be worse for college football fans, who waited more than seven months to see the first marquee matchup of the season. 

Florida vs. Utah is just one game, but the outage could affect numerous games on ESPN and its affiliated networks throughout Week 1 and potentially beyond.

MORE: Embarrassing Florida penalty leads to Utah touchdown

Here's what you need to know about the dispute between Spectrum and Disney causing ESPN to go dark.

Why is ESPN not working on Spectrum?

Spectrum and Disney, which owns ESPN and other networks, are locked in a dispute over access fees. The outage began Thursday night around 8 p.m. ET, and there is no timeline for a resolution. 

Disney confirmed the outage on Thursday, releasing a statement saying, "We have been unable to reach a market-based agreement with Charter Communications (Spectrum) to continue carrying our networks."

Spectrum hit back, asserting that the dispute is Disney's fault.

"We offered Disney a fair deal, yet they are demanding an excessive increase. They want to limit our ability to provide greater customer choice in programming packages forcing you to take and pay for channels you may not want," the cable provider said in a statement announcing the outage.

The war of words continued Friday, 24 hours before college football's first Saturday filled with games across ESPN's networks.

"Charter’s actions are a disservice to consumers ahead of the kickoff for the college football season on ABC and ESPN’s networks," the statement read.

On Sept. 3, Disney kept the pressure on Spectrum, 

"Although Charter claims that they value their customers, they declined Disney’s offer to extend negotiations which would have kept Disney-owned networks up for consumers in the middle of perennial programming events like the US Open and college football," the conglomerate said in a release.

Fortunately, carrier disputes aren't necessarily permanent. The two sides can still reach an agreement to restore ESPN and other networks to Spectrum. For now, though, the clock is ticking. ESPN and ABC host a bevy of college football games each weekend, and the season is now in full swing. 

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Needless to say, fans were baffled by the timing of dispute.

The only winners in the dispute might be Florida fans who have Spectrum and didn't have to watch the Gators' sloppy performance against Utah.

Here's a closer look at which channels the dispute affects.

What channels does Disney own?

Disney owns a handful of major networks, including the following:

  • ABC
  • ESPN
  • ESPN2
  • ESPNU
  • SEC Network
  • ACC Network
  • Freeform
  • FX
  • National Geographic

That means college football won't be the only sport affected by the carrier dispute. ESPN is currently in the midst of US Open tennis coverage and also carries "Sunday Night Baseball", with "Monday Night Football" and all four MLB Wild Card Series coming soon as well.

College football games on ABC, ESPN2, ESPNU, SEC Network, and ACC Network are blacked out for Spectrum users, while popular channels such as Freeform and National Geographic won't be available for the duration of the dispute, either.

MORE: College football coaches on the hot seat entering 2023

How to watch ESPN for free

ESPN and its family of networks might not be available on Spectrum, but viewers can still access the games through certain streaming services.

Fubo, which offers a free trial, carries ESPN's family networks and any games broadcast on the networks. All games broadcast on ESPN networks are also available to stream for ESPN+ subscribers.

Dan Treacy

Dan Treacy Photo

Dan Treacy is a content producer for Sporting News, joining in 2022 after graduating from Boston University. He founded @allsportsnews on Instagram in 2012 and has written for Lineups and Yardbarker.