US Open players unable to watch tournament at hotel as TV row rumbles on
US Open players, including Coco Gauff, have complained they cannot watch the tournament from their hotel rooms amid a sudden row between the cable provider Spectrum and the ESPN network. Their frustrations have resonated with countless stateside fans in the same predicament.
Spectrum is the second-largest cable company in the US. But Disney-owned ESPN, which carries exclusive broadcast rights to the tennis tournament, pulled all of its programming from the provider last week because it is unhappy with how much it's getting paid to appear on air. The feud has affected the US Open and numerous American football games.
"We can't watch ESPN at our hotel," said Gauff. "I saw the scoreline. I didn't see the match." And Daniil Medvedev added, "I don't know if it's legal or illegal but, uh, I have to find a way because I cannot watch it on TV. So I go on the internet and probably this how you call it pirate websites or something so I watch tennis there [as I] have no other choice."
Gauff, cheered by fans in New York throughout the competition, has advanced to the women's singles semifinals after defeating Jelena Ostapenko to become the first American teenager to reach a US Open last-four match since Serena Williams did so in 2001. Medvedev will face Andrey Rublev on Wednesday in the men's singles quarterfinals.
The dispute between Spectrum and ESPN is part of a larger power struggle aboard the sinking ship of the US cable TV industry. For years, networks paid sports divisions massive sums to secure exclusive broadcast rights. Then, providers such as Spectrum would buy their channels to serve games to customers. Everyone was happy.
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However, the number of traditional cable subscribers in the US has plummeted recently, and providers such as Spectrum and networks such as ESPN cannot agree on new valuations to match the circumstances.
"We had to draw a line in the sand," said Chris Winfrey, the CEO of Spectrum's parent company. "I'm disappointed that Disney so far has insisted on higher prices forcing customers to take their products when they don't want them or can't afford them and asking us to require customers to pay for direct-to-consumer apps, their linear fees already paid for."
Coco Gauff has reached the semifinals, matching a feat last accomplished by Serena Williams. (Corbis via Getty Images)Meanwhile, Disney has placed blame for its ESPN decision on Spectrum. "Disney deeply values its relationship with its viewers and is hopeful Charter is ready to have more conversations that will restore access to its content to Spectrum customers as quickly as possible," the company wrote in a statement.
Ultimately, the biggest losers of the fiasco are the US fans who might have to miss the conclusion of a historic Open run from Florida-born Gauff.
Spectrum boasts an estimated 14.7 million subscribers, according to Reuters. The stranded tennis fans among them are saddened Gauff isn't getting the viewership she deserves as she matches the early career feats achieved by her idol, Serena Williams.
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