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South Carolina Football vs. UNC: How to get around the Spectrum/Disney blackout

By Kevin Miller

South Carolina football's game against UNC on ABC could be blacked out by Spectrum due to an ongoing dispute with Disney. (Photo Illustration by Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
South Carolina football's game against UNC on ABC could be blacked out by Spectrum due to an ongoing dispute with Disney. (Photo Illustration by Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) /
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South Carolina football fans are getting more and more nervous as kickoff against North Carolina grows closer. The feelings of anxiety are not just normal jitters about what should be a tightly-contested rivalry game, however.

For loyal Gamecocks who have Spectrum as their television/internet provider, there is a danger that they may be unable to watch the game at all.

Spectrum’s parent company Charter is in a contract dispute with Disney at the moment, and, until that dispute is settled, Spectrum will no longer put anything on its airwaves that is owned by Disney.

For those who don’t know, ABC and all of the ESPN properties are owned by Disney. That means that South Carolina football’s game coverage on ABC and its College GameDay coverage on ESPN and ESPNU will not be aired if the two sides cannot come to an agreement.

While disputes like this have happened in the past, Charter CEO Chris Winfrey said that this dispute was, “not the typical carriage dispute,” indicating that he believes (or at least wants Disney to believe) that Spectrum is willing to hold the line for a long time.

Spectrum subscribers who are also fans of the Florida Gators missed their team’s opener on Thursday against Utah due to the company’s issues with Disney (though, that might have been a mercy for Gator fans as the Utes whipped up on the visiting Florida squad 24-11).

So what can Gamecock fans who also happen to be Spectrum users do to make sure they can watch the game tomorrow night? As it turns out, there are quite a few options.

  • Going to a sports bar or to a friend’s house is the simplest option.
  • HD antennas can be bought fairly cheaply at common retailers like Walmart and Best Buy. Because the game is on ABC, antennas can pick up the signal of the game broadcast in most locations.
  • YouTube TV offers a seven-day free trial for their streaming service.
  • Fubo TV also offers a free seven-day trial.
  • DirecTV Stream has a five-day free trial.
  • SlingTV does not have a free trial, but they do have a 50% promotional offer toward the first month of streaming.
  • Other streaming services like Hulu+ with Live Sports are available but do not have free trials.

Hopefully Charter and Disney resolve their issues for the sake of the customers, but if they do not, one of these other solutions can help South Carolina football fans make sure they don’t miss the Gamecocks in action.

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