“Absolutely Shocking Disney!” – US Fans Angry As Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz Matches Disrupted by Broadcasters

Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz are invariably two of the biggest attractions at the US Open 2023 in the men’s singles draw. However, fans in the United States in particular have been denied the opportunity to watch both the players’ latest matches. This is because Walt Disney has removed the likes of ABC and ESPN from Charter Communications’ Spectrum Service.

With no resolution yet between Walt Disney and Charter, many of the US Open 2023 matches have not been broadcasted in the home country. It has naturally caused tremendous embarrassment and anger amongst tennis lovers in the country. Some have also claimed that the broadcast of the second round match of Carlos Alcaraz was stopped right in between, which made them scramble for viewership.

Alcaraz second round and Djokovic third round matches affected by Disney dispute

Carlos Alcaraz won his second match against South Africa’s Lloyd Harris in straight sets on Thursday. However, Alcaraz fans in the United States were robbed of watching the third set, which ended in a tie-breaker. Many other US Open tennis matches as well as other sporting events have been affected severely.

Neither Walt Disney nor Charter are ready to relent and this is not being considered by the public and media experts as a ‘regular blackout’. According to Reuters, once the screens blacked out, Charter put up a message on screens asking sports fans to contact Disney at the earliest. They have accused Disney of ‘demanding’ for an unreasonable rise in rates when it comes to their content distribution. It said in an official statement –

“We offered Disney a fair deal, yet they are demanding an excessive increase.

“The rising cost of programming is the single greatest factor in higher cable TV prices and we are fighting to hold the line on programming rates imposed on us by companies like Disney.”

In response, Walt Disney too released an official press release in which it stated that it had provided Charter with ‘the most favorable terms on rates, distribution, packaging, advertising and more.’ However, Disney is ready to renegotiate the terms, which is mainly about ESPN, as they are now more into live streaming. But billions are at stake for Disney if they are unable to reach a deal with Charter since ESPN is still largely favoured for TV cable consumption.

Even as a disappointed USTA are hopeful of the two companies restoring their deal, fans were victimised as they were denied the opportunity to watch Novak Djokovic live on Friday, taking on fellow Serbian, Laslo Djere. At the time of writing this report, Djere was leading in the match, 6-4, 6-4, 1-6, 1-3 as Djokovic was attempting another miraculous, thrilling comeback. The match was set to go past 1 AM EST.

Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic fans react in anger

Understandably, fans have voiced out their frustration on social media, tagging the likes of Disney and USTA over the same. Here are some reactions which sum up the whole situation.

Many are fearing that should the dispute not be resolved, they may miss watching the women’s singles and men’s singles finals, which will be held on September 9 and September 10 respectively. And fans clearly are looking for a Carlos Alcaraz vs Novak Djokovic men’s singles final like it was at Wimbledon. The question also remains – ‘With this dispute, will the broadcast rights value of the US Open take a massive dip in 2024?’ If so, then that could also impact players’ prize money to a huge extent as the USTA is extremely dependent on broadcast rights apart from sponsors for their earnings in the Grand Slam.