The stalemate between Charter and Disney has reached the one week mark; Nielsen has temporarily backed off of its plan to incorporate Amazon’s internal data into its viewership estimates; and more.
Disney, Charter, still at impasse after a full week
The stalemate between Disney and Charter reached the one-week mark Thursday with neither side giving any indication a deal is close. Reiterating a point he made last week, Charter CEO Chris Winfrey said at a conference Thursday that the company is prepared to walk away from its video business, which he said is becoming a “liability” for its broadband internet offering. Winfrey: “I think we can [move on] in a way that might actually create more value for consumers and will be good for us.”
In the event that Charter fails to reach a deal with Disney — a prospect he called “more and more of a potential reality” — Winfrey said the company would be unlikely to renew deals with other sports networks and instead offer a smaller, cheaper package consisting of “general entertainment content that customers actually wanted, watched and valued.”
For its part, Disney accused Charter in a statement Thursday of abandoning its customers by denying them access to the company’s content, adding that the cable provider seems “determined to functionally exit the video business.”
Charter is asking that Disney include its direct-to-subscriber platforms — ESPN+, Hulu and Disney+ — free of charge in its next deal with the company. (Hollywood Reporter 9.7, Disney PR)
Nielsen puts off addition of Amazon’s internal data
Nielsen said Thursday that it will hold off on incorporating Amazon’s internal (or “first-party”) data into its viewership estimates for Thursday Night Football after failing to gain approval from the Media Ratings Council. The data will instead be included in a separate, optional “big data” product.
The move had been overwhelmingly opposed by the other NFL broadcasters and the Video Advertising Bureau — an industry group representing the networks — on the grounds that it advantaged only Amazon and would make for apples-to-oranges comparisons. According to Advertising Age, even advertisers objected to the move during a “contentious” MRC meeting last week.
In a statement, Nielsen said it will continue to work toward incorporating first-party data but stressed that it is “committed to adhering to the MRC’s measurement standards” and will take “client feedback” into account. (AdAge 9.7)
Plus: Dolan, Stendel, Landa
— ESPN on Thursday announced a contract extension with betting analyst Erin Dolan, who will relocate to Bristol, Conn., as an in-studio contributor to SportsCenter, Daily Wager and other studio programming. Dolan is completing her second year with ESPN. (ESPN PR)
— YES Network cameraman Pete Stendel, who was injured during a game earlier this year, returned to his role on on Thursday after a two-month absence. Stendel broke an orbital bone in July when he was struck in the face by an errant throw. (ESPN.com 9.7)
— ESPN this week named Rebeca Landa the play-by-play voice of Monday Night Football on ESPN Deportes, replacing Eduardo Varela. Landa, who served as a secondary play-by-play voice last season, will work alongside analyst Sergio Dipp. (ESPN PR)
