The tennis community and fans wait for the better part of the year to witness each Grand Slam. The US Open is one of the most celebrated of all majors and  ESPN has been providing its constant streaming services for 9 years. According to Macrotrends, Disney, which holds over 80% of ESPN’s stock, is valued at a whopping $154.21 Billion. But when Carlos Alcaraz was playing his second-round match against Lloyd Harris, the streaming stopped abruptly.

ESPN decided to stop airing the last Slam of the year as it locked horns with the cable operator, Charter Spectrum. Instead, during yesterday’s high-octane clash, the 2nd biggest cable operator in the US displayed a peculiar message on the TV screen. The New Yorkers were stunned to see the message that appeared on the screen instead of their highly anticipated tennis match.

US Open witnesses a major streaming issue which irked fans

Charter Spectrum issued a checkmate to media giants like ESPN and ABC as it claimed that Disney is imposing huge programming rates. The cable operator, valued at $64.66 Billion, unveiled its master stroke by halting the streaming of the Slam altogether. Millions of New Yorkers are now digging for other resources to keep up to date with the Slam.

Spectator Index, a global reporting agency, tweeted, “Disney channels, including ESPN and ABC, have gone dark on Charter Spectrum, the second-biggest cable TV provider in the United States.” In a world where sports hold personal value, fans felt they were deprived of their right to watch the tournament in which they find both solace and adrenaline. Several fan accounts and users went into a frenzy and warned both parties to sort their issues out and voiced their concerns.

A tennis account showed its irritability over the catfight between Disney and a Cable TV Operator, stating that tennis is exhausting to follow.

An account dedicated to tennis offered a glimpse of what was on the screen after the streaming halted suddenly.

Another fan tweeted that Spectrum and Disney need to solve their issues soon.

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A tennis fan tagged the ESPN commentator Rennae Stubbs and took a sarcastic dig at the media giant.

Another user claimed that no one cares about the multibillion-dollar giants’ dispute and urged them to air the Slam.

A user was appalled by the action taken during such a crucial time and expressed his irritation.

Disney is yet to release an official statement regarding Charter Spectrum’s claims. On the other hand, following the outrage of fans, the Flushing Meadows issued an official statement regretting the inconvenience caused. The Slam’s organizers made the message crisp and decided not to delve into the cause of cessation.

Flushing Meadows turns into the disappointing Slam of the year

The most anticipated major tournament expressed its disappointment over the streaming halt. The statement read that the US Open understands the disappointment of fans. The official release also seemed hopeful that the dispute would be resolved soon so that the airing of the matches could resume.

The US Open this year started on a whammy note, as Holger Rune faced a first-round exit to an unseeded player. Then came the medical emergency of Ons Jabeur mid-match in her first round, as New York’s humidity took a toll on her. In his second round, Matteo Berrettini was forced to retire from the tournament in a wheelchair as he twisted his ankle and squirmed in pain.

Now, the cherry on top is the streaming dispute. How long do fans need to wait to watch the players they admire? Fans will have to wait for at least a few months before another major starts, and they seek justice soon.

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