Charter Spectrum‘s move to merge the worlds of cable TV and streaming continues, as a new carriage deal with TelevisaUnivision bolsters a strategy kicked off with The Walt Disney Co. last year.
Spectrum and TelevisaUnivision have cut a new multi-year carriage deal, one that will bundle TelevisaUnivision’s ViX Premium with Ads service in Spectrum’s Spectrum TV Select or Mi Plan Latino packages.
The deal is part of what Charter Spectrum calls its “new distribution framework,” in which it seeks to bundle linear TV offerings with streaming.
The strategy began with a landmark deal with Disney last year. Following an extended blackout of Disney’s TV channels (including ESPN and ABC), the company agreed to a deal that saw Disney’s core channels remain on Charter’s pay-TV offering, some secondary channels (like Freeform and Disney Junior) removed, and Disney+ with ads included in most TV packages at no extra charge to consumers.
“I think if we’re learning anything in this moment, it is that we need to remain flexible, that these models are changing rapidly, that keeping up with technology and the consumer means we have to stay flexible and agile,” said Dana Walden, co-chairman of Disney Entertainment, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter shortly after the deal was announced.
The TelevisaUnivision deal continues that strategy by bundling ViX Premium with Ads (announced just last week) in many TV packaged, and letting Spectrum test out new options.
To that end, Spectrum is also expected to launch a “low-cost Spanish-language internet-delivered video package” in the coming months, which will include TelevisaUnivision’s channels, which include Univision, TUDN, and UniMás, among others.
“We appreciate TelevisaUnivision’s willingness to fully support our new distribution framework, which is good for customers and a significant step forward for the video ecosystem,” said Tom Montemagno, executive VP of programming acquisition for Charter, in a statement. “With this agreement, our customers will continue to enjoy access to TelevisaUnivision’s extensive Spanish-language programming, including entertainment and live sports, across multiple platforms. This furthers our goal of providing value to customers by including streaming apps with Spectrum services.”
“We’re pleased to enter into an innovative deal with Charter that underscores a shared commitment to the growing Hispanic market and prioritizes their needs and interests, ensuring TelevisaUnivision’s leading content remains available to viewers for years to come,” adds Mike Angus, executive VP of global distribution and streaming partnerships at TelevisaUnivision. “This deal demonstrates the value we can deliver to our partners and consumers by continuing to invest in both the linear and streaming platforms to create a complementary Spanish-language content ecosystem.”