Charter CEO Takes Swing at Disney, Pushing Pay TV to ‘Precipice’
- Terms have to change or ‘we’re moving on,’ Winfrey says
- Media stocks tumble as cable’s No. 2 fights Hollywood giant
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Some executives in the media world have long warned about the day when a real war would break out between Big Cable and Hollywood — and reshape the future of pay TV as we know it.
On Friday, after years of escalating tensions, the battle began, pitting the No. 2 US cable company Charter Communications Inc. against media giant Walt Disney Co. At midnight, with the two sides unable to reach a new, multiyear programming contract, Charter’s 14.7 million TV subscribers lost access to ABC, ESPN, and other Disney-owned channels, including coverage of the US Open tennis tournament this weekend.