Cable contract dispute could black out ABC, ESPN in New York Tri-state area

By Tony Owusu

French cable company Altice USA Inc., which acquired cable provider Cablevision in 2016, is in contract negotiations with Disney Co. that could result in the blacking out of ABC and ESPN, among other channels, in the US New York tri-state area if a deal is not struck before the current contract expires on September 30. 

Sources told NBC News that Disney is looking for a “gigantic” rate increase for the right to broadcast its package of channels. If the two companies cannot come to terms on a new contract, blackouts of Disney channels for Altice subscribers is possible. 

Altice USA shares were down 0.8 per cent Monday morning in the US while Disney shares decreased 0.33 per cent.