TelevisaUnivision and Charter Communications have reached a multi-year carriage renewal that includes streaming distribution on Spectrum for a new tier of the Vix streaming service.Under the renewed deal, a new ad-supported version of TelevisaUnivision’s premium subscription streaming outlet Vix will be made available to Spectrum subscribers at no additional cost. Linear is also a key ingredient in the pact, with TelevisaUnivision’s U.S. channels forming the foundation of a soon-to-launch Spanish-language Spectrum video package delivered via the internet.Charter has led the charge in recent months by distributors angered by carriage fee increases sought by programmers even as more content shifts outside of the traditional bundle, from linear to streaming. While fee battles have been common for decades, the accelerating decline of pay-TV across the board has injected new urgency into negotiations. Last September, Charter and Disney hit an impasse that wound up depriving millions of Spectrum customers of ESPN, ABC, FX and other networks for 10 days. In order to end the blackout, the parties agreed on a blended agreement that integrated Disney+ and Hulu into Spectrum bundles but also left long-established networks like Freeform and FXX without linear carriage.A press release said Spectrum “provides customers with access to TelevisaUnivision’s networks,” including Univision, UniMás, Galavisión, TL Novelas, TUDN, FOROtv, Bandamax, De Película, De Película Clásico, Telehit and Telehit Música. It did not mention any changes to the tier of service for the networks.Spectrum TV Select or Mi Plan Latino customers will receive the new version of Vix. TelevisaUnivision launched Vix in 2022 and announced last week it was getting set to roll out a cheaper subscription tier with advertising.“We’re pleased to enter into an innovative deal with Charter that underscores a shared commitment to the growing Hispanic market and prioritizes their needs and interests, ensuring TelevisaUnivision’s leading content remains available to viewers for years to come,” said Mike Angus, EVP, Global Distribution and Streaming Partnerships at TelevisaUnivision. “This deal demonstrates the value we can deliver to our partners and consumers by continuing to invest in both the linear and streaming platforms to create a complementary Spanish-language content ecosystem.”Tom Montemagno, Executive Vice President, Programming Acquisition for Charter, saluted the willingness of TelevisaUnivision to “fully support our new distribution framework, which is good for customers and a significant step forward for the video ecosystem.”
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