The recent disagreement between ESPN-owned Walt Disney Co. and Charter Spectrum has left about 15 million cable customers without access to their favorite channel. As the opening game of Monday Night Football approaches, many sports enthusiasts are desperately seeking alternatives to catch the action.
Luckily, there are options available for those who have been affected by the blackout. Some streaming services such as Google’s YouTubeTV, FuboTV, and SlingTV offer the Disney family of channels, including ESPN. The subscription prices for these services range between $40 and $75 per month, depending on the package you choose.
It’s important to note that not all Monday Night Football games will be available on the streaming services mentioned above. However, ESPN’s OTT service ESPN+ will stream some of these games, including the week 1 matchup between the Buffalo Bills and the New York Jets. An ESPN+ subscription costs $9.99 per month (increasing to $10.99/month starting Oct. 12), with no current free trial offer. For a complete schedule of Monday Night Football games available on ESPN+, you can visit their website.
With these alternatives at your disposal, you can still enjoy the thrill of Monday Night Football, even if your cable provider is at odds with ESPN.
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Catch the Game for Free!
This week’s Monday Night Football game will be broadcasted on ABC. If you’re feeling nostalgic, you can try an old school method to catch the game for free – using rabbit ears! Whether you have indoor “rabbit ears” or a larger outdoor antenna, you can get free access to a range of over-the-air channels like ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC. Depending on your location, you might even be able to tune into ABC using this method.
Disney-Spectrum Dispute
Spectrum cable customers have been experiencing blackout issues with various channels from the Disney group. This includes popular sports channels like ESPN, ESPN2, SEC Network, ACC Network, and ESPNU. Additionally, non-sports channels such as ABC-owned stations, Disney-branded channels, Freeform, FX, and National Geographic have also been affected.
Impact on Disney’s Stock
Last week, the shares of Walt Disney Co. experienced their longest losing streak in nearly a year due to the dispute with Spectrum. However, the stock saw a 0.59% increase during opening trading on Monday.
