Last fall, Charter Communications went to the mat with The Walt Disney Co. over program-licensing renewal, trying to, among other things, gain more flexibility in terms of how it bundles channels.
And the fruits of the cable operator’s hard-won battle are apparent with its introduction Tuesday of Spectrum TV Stream, a virtual, ESPN-less skinny bundle that includes more than 90 entertainment and news-themed channels for $39.99 a month.
Bundled channels include A&E, AMC, BBC America, CNN, Discovery, Disney Channel, Fox News, FX, Hallmark, HGTV, National Geographic, TCM, TLC, and in some markets, Spectrum News. Here is a complete channel list.
Notice that the bundle includes the Disney Channel, but not ABC or ESPN.
Charter, which became the No. 1 pay TV operator in America last year — largely because incumbent leader Comcast lost nearly 2.1 million video customers — also announced the introduction of Spectrum Stream Latino. This vMVPD bundles 45 Spanish-language channels, including Bandamax, BeIN Sports en Español, Discovery en Español, Galavisión, Telemundo, TUDN, UniMás and Univision, for $24.99 a month.
Both skinny bundles are streamed through the Spectrum TV App, which is supported by platforms including the Xumo Stream Box, iOS and Android phones and tablets, CTV gadgets and smart TVs powered by Apple TV, Roku, Xbox One, Amazon Kindle Fire and Samsung, and computers via SpectrumTV.com.
Spectrum Stream comes a little over nine years after Dish Network introduced Sling TV, but better late than never.
“We are focused on creating more flexible, lower-cost video options for our customers that include a bundle of channels they want to watch,” Sharon Peters, executive VP and chief marketing officer for Charter, said in a statement. “With Spectrum TV Stream and Stream Latino, our customers now have the option to choose high-value, internet-delivered streaming TV packages that include the most popular news and entertainment networks and Spanish-language programming.”
