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How to watch ESPN for frustrated Spectrum cable customers with blacked out channels

Here are some options for Spectrum customers caught in the middle of the distribution dispute between the cable provider and Disney who want to watch ESPN.

Greg Heilman
Greg Heilman
Where blacked-out Spectrum cable customers can watch ESPN

Spectrum customers are scrambling to find ways to watch ESPN after a distribution dispute between Disney and Charter Communications, the No. 2 cable provider’s parent company, resulted in a blackout. Losing access to the Number One sports channel couldn’t have come at a worse time for many with the US Open tennis tournament getting started and college football kicking off.

ESPN has lamented the situation calling it “a frustrating one for millions of Spectrum cable subscribers” but offered a solution for those that want to watch major sporting events; switch where you watch ESPN. Specifically, the sports channel pitched going over to HULU, Disney is a majority owner of the subscription streaming service.

However, sports fans that don’t want to miss out on the bevy of games set to be played in the coming days, and weeks depending on how long the fee dispute lasts, have other options.

How to watch ESPN for frustrated Spectrum cable customers with blacked out channels

The tens of millions of Spectrum customers in the US aren’t the only ones that have been affected by Disney yanking its selection of nearly 20 channels along with the local ABC channels under its purview. Players competing in the US Open who are staying at hotels with Spectrum cable subscriptions also missed out on other matches, that is for at least until a workaround was found. While ESPN offered them logins to the company’s internal app according to a company spokesman, the average Joe and Jane will have to find their own alternative.

ESPN+ may not be the best fit for many as the $10 a month subscription service only offers customers select live games, so you may miss out on those that you want to watch. Besides signing up to a HULU subscription the following streaming services include ESPN channels:

  • DirecTV
  • Fubo
  • Sling TV
  • YouTubeTV

Services like YouTubeTV offer a one-week free trial, which, with fingers crossed, will be long enough for the dispute to be resolved. But don’t hold your breath. Keep in mind though, you’ll have to cancel before the end of the trial period to avoid having your credit card charged.

To offset any additional costs incurred should you sign up for an alternate service in the meantime, you can take advantage of a $15 credit which Charter Communications is offering to frustrated customers. But you will have to contact customer service billing in order to get it.