Posted in: ABC, Freeform, FX, TV | Tagged: ABC, always sunny, charter, disney, FXX, It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, spectrum

A New Home for It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia? Disney: Not So Fast

Will It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia need a new home? Disney looked to calm concerns about the future of FXX and other networks.

If you had a chance to check out the news earlier today, then you know that Disney and Charter finally reached a new carriage agreement that got ESPN, ABC, and other networks owned by The Mouse back on Spectrum cable screens. But the deal came with a hefty price, with eight Disney networks (FXX, FXM, Freeform, Disney Junior, Disney XD, Nat Geo Wild, and more) dropped. Now, that's a problem for us because FXX is the home of the longest-running (and greatest) sitcom on television, the Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day, Glenn Howerton, Kaitlin Olson & Danny DeVito-starring It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Are we looking at a "dead network walking" situation with FXX? Will Paddy's be making the move back to FX as linear continues losing ground to streaming? Not so fast, at least according to Disney Entertainment Co-Chairmen Dana Walden & Alan Bergman and ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro, who addressed concerns in a memo that went out earlier today. "Our commitment to all our brands and the people who work for them is unchanged," the trio reaffirmed at one point in the message. "We will continue to program these channels and deliver the same high-quality shows to our fans." Here's a look at the memo obtained by Deadline Hollywood that was sent out to staff at the impacted networks from Walden, Bergman & Pitaro:

Team,

After a lengthy negotiation process, we have been able to create a transformative, multi-year distribution deal with Charter Communications that continues to support the existing linear ecosystem while also growing our direct-to-consumer business and positioning us well for our future. And, we are pleased that our viewers will once again have access to the majority of our networks and stations, just in time for the kickoff of Monday Night Football tonight on ABC and ESPN. As part of the agreement, Charter will distribute Disney+ Basic to millions of Spectrum Select subscribers, supercharging our ad tier and further expanding our reach and revenue. This is especially valuable as it reinforces our streaming strategy, one of the company's key priorities.

In every negotiation, especially in times of transition, tradeoffs are necessary. On that front, while Spectrum will continue to carry ABC/ABC's Owned Television Stations, Disney Channel, FX and the Nat Geo Channel, in addition to the full suite of ESPN networks, some of our networks will no longer be carried by Charter. Those include Baby TV, Disney Junior, Disney XD, Freeform, FXM, FXX, Nat Geo Mundo and Nat Geo Wild. These channels will continue to be carried by our other distribution partners who represent over 80% of the reach for these networks. Our commitment to all our brands and the people who work for them is unchanged. We will continue to program these channels and deliver the same high-quality shows to our fans. And, of course, our viewers will also be able to enjoy specific titles and content from these networks on our streaming services.

Our customer-first strategy has served The Walt Disney Company well for a century, and as we look to our work ahead, we must be open to a blend of business models as our industry evolves. We encourage everyone to continue to embrace innovation and new ideas because it is precisely that creative thinking that opened an avenue to this agreement with Charter and will continue to fuel our future business.

To all our teams at Disney Entertainment and ESPN, thank you for your dedication.

Dana, Alan & Jimmy

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