U.S. Open Players Caught In Disney-Charter Carriage Standoff Get ESPN Access To Watch Matches
deadline.comIn addition to disrupting tennis fans’ viewing experience, the ongoing carriage dispute between Disney and Charter Communications, which saw Disney linear networks, including ESPN, go dark on Charter’s Spectrum cable systems last Thursday, is wreaking havoc on players’ preparation for matches at the year’s final Grand Slam.
Superstars Coco Gauff and Daniil Medvedev shared their frustration over not being able to watch tournament matches at their hotel, with the latter admitting that he had to resort to bootlegged online feeds.
Even ESPN’s own John McEnroe, in his return to the commentators’ booth on Labor Day, referenced the fact that he didn’t watch as much coverage of the tournament as he would’ve liked while sidelined with Covid because of the Disney-Charter carriage dispute.
According to sources, ESPN, the network that carries U.S. Open, has remedied the issue for about 15-20 athletes, outside press and internal ESPN talent who have been granted complimentary access to match coverage while staying in New York City, a top Spectrum market.
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