With the 2023 NFL season barely under way, media analysts are watching the continuing dispute between Walt Disney and Spectrum parent Charter Communications, which has left thousands of cable television subscribers unable to watch sports behemoth ESPN and Disney’s other channels. Football’s availability this year highlights how much of the TV industry remains in flux years after cord-cutting became de rigueur—and as cable blackouts become more common.
Indeed, from the continuing Hollywood writers’ and actors’ guild strikes to the Disney-Charter spat, it’s clear that streaming’s disruptive power in the entertainment industry is still sending out shock waves more than a decade after bursting onto the scene. While some consumers may welcome more options for watching football, the fact that more games are available exclusively online shows how major media entertainment companies expect streaming to be the real future driver of growth. That means it will be more confusing than ever to keep track of how to watch certain games.