Comcast and Disney renewed a critical carriage pact that will keep ESPN, Disney Channel, ABC and more flowing to the subscribers of the Philadelphia cable giant.
The two companies said they had struck a “multi-year agreement” that includes carriage of the ESPN networks, Disney’s kid-focused cable networks, Freeform, the FX and National Geographic networks and ABC-owned stations on Comcast’s Xfinity service. The deal includes the ACC Network and the SEC Network, two ESPN-backed college sports operations, and makes the ACC outlet fully distributed in the U.S. The Disney Plus and ESPN Plus streaming services were made available via Xfinity earlier this year, but are not part of the deal, unveiled Tuesday.
“We are very pleased to have reached this comprehensive agreement with Disney to continue providing Xfinity customers access to their content across our industry-leading platforms,” said Rebecca Heap, senior vice president, consumer products and propositions, at Comcast Cable, in a statement.
“We’re very happy to extend our longstanding relationship with Comcast and continue to provide their Xfinity customers with Disney’s best-in-class programming,” said Sean Breen, executive vice president, platform distribution, Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution, in a statement. “In addition to our news, sports and general entertainment offerings, the launch of the ACC Network in the coming weeks, paired with the renewal of the SEC Network, will give Xfinity’s college sports fans long-awaited access to their favorite games.”
Subscribers will also be able to gain access to Disney programming using Xfinity’s voice remote, by saying the name of a channel or streaming service, or by uttering the name of a specific Disney title or show.