Mickey’s back: Cable ONE, Disney make deal

Published 12:00 am Thursday, December 28, 2000

After months of negotiations, Cable ONE and The Disney Company have written a happy ending to the Disney Channel story. Cable ONE announced earlier this month that the Disney Channel would be pulled from its basic cable lineup due to a pricing dispute with The Disney Company.

But recent negotiations satisfied both parties, and Cable ONE announced this week they will keep the Disney Channel as part of its existing lineup.

The cost to air Disney networks, including ESPN and ESPN2, has increased 40 percent in the last three years, Manager Bobby McCool said in a press release.

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Rather than raise programming costs or offer the Disney Channel as a premium service, Cable ONE decided to drop the channel and replace it with a network of customer choosing, which would have taken effect Dec. 31.

&uot;We are very pleased that our negotiations have reached a successful resolution,&uot; McCool said in the release.

&uot;We have heard from many of our customers who were reluctant to see the Disney Channel replaced. This solution means that Disney programming will continue to be enjoyed by its loyal viewers.&uot;

McCool said Cable ONE intends to use feedback from customers about what network they would have opted for when adding programming in the future.

Cable ONE serves more than 9,000 customers in Adams County and 1,565 customers in the Vidalia area.