Winfrey said that, while he believes Disney is the right content company to forge a new TV business model, the carriage fight currently underway over a broader “transformation” will soon apply to other programmers as well.īut the company’s CFO Jessica Fischer also laid out the financial risks to Charter, and warned that the company is preparing for the possibility that the loss of Disney channels is “permanent.” “For us, we are at a crossroads, economic indifference really, with our video product offering and Disney is at a crossroads with its DTC apps and traditional linear TV strategy,” added Rich DiGeronimo, Charter’s president of product and technology.ĭisney, meanwhile, released a statement responding to Charter, claiming that “contrary to their claims, we have offered Charter the most favorable terms on rates, distribution, packaging, advertising and more,” and that “we have proposed creative ways to make Disney’s direct-to-consumer services available to their Spectrum TV subscribers, including opportunities for new and flexible packages where those services become a focal point of what the consumer might choose.”
But the video ecosystem is broken,” Winfrey added. “We respect the quality product that Disney produces and its management team. “It also works for us because it creates a glide path for us to create new marketing channels for new types of video products. “When I talk about a glide path for Disney, it clears the way for ESPN to go direct-to-consumer in a way that’s friendly, and doesn’t completely cannibalize their larger linear video revenues that they have,” Winfrey said. Charter argues that move would justify a substantial rethink of traditional carriage deals. Perhaps most notably, Disney has indicated that it plans to take its flagship ESPN channel - the most valuable property in the pay TV bundle - DTC in the coming years. It was a message reinforced by other executives, who warned that the entire pay TV system needs a reset, particularly with programmers like Disney continuing to pursue direct-to-consumer options. It’s significant for Charter, and we think it’s even more significant for programmers and the broader video ecosystem.” We’re either moving forward with a new collaborative video model, or we’re moving on,” Charter CEO Chris Winfrey said on a conference call with Wall Street analysts Friday morning. Disney Says It Has Made "No Decision" on Selling ABC But Is Open to "Strategic Options"
0 kommentar(er)
