ESPN Is Back On Spectrum In Western New York

Just in the nick of time.

Spectrum customers across Western New York can breathe a sigh of relief knowing they can watch their beloved Buffalo Bills in their first Monday Night Football game of the season.

Disney and Spectrum have officially reached a deal as of today that will restore ESPN and other Disney-owned channels to their nearly 15 million cable subscribers. Spectrum customers have not been able to access blacked out channels like ESPN, ABC, and Freeform since August 31st.

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After a week and a half of negotiations, the two companies have confirmed the deal on Monday afternoon. Via a joint statement, Robert A. Iger, CEO of The Walt Disney Company, and Chris Winfrey, CEO of Charter Communications (the parent company of Spectrum) said,

“Our collective goal has always been to build an innovative model for the future. This deal recognizes both the continued value of linear television and the growing popularity of streaming services while addressing the evolving needs of our consumers.”

Spectrum & Disney Thank Customers For Their Patience

They also expressed appreciation for the millions of frustrated customers, adding:

“We also want to thank our mutual customers for their patience this past week and are pleased that Spectrum viewers once again have access to Disney’s high-quality sports, news and entertainment programming, in time for Monday Night Football.”

How Soon Will ESPN Be Back On Spectrum?

Literally, just in time. The announcement of the deal came out hours before ESPN and ESPN 2 were scheduled to air the Buffalo Bills away game against Aaron Rogers and the Hard Knocks’ New York Jets.

We just checked on our TVs, and can confirm that all of the Spectrum channels that were previously blacked out have returned.

Phew! Now Bills fans with Spectrum won’t have to resort to streaming (illegal or otherwise) to root them on tonight.