NCTC Locks HDTV Carriage Deal with Disney, ESPN

The National Cable Television Cooperative has reached a comprehensive carriage deal with The Walt Disney Co. for a wide range of networks, including six HDTV services as well as ESPNU, the college-sports channel, officials said Monday. 

“NCTC members are launching additional HD content to meet growing consumer demand, and this new agreement provides members with an excellent HD package of top Disney and ESPN content,” NCTC president and CEO Jeff Abbas said in a prepared statement. “We are confident members will see a positive response from customers as they add these channels to their expanding HD line-ups.”

Under the multi-year agreement, NCTC members will have access to major Disney and ESPN programming, including: ESPNU and ESPNU HD; ESPN2 HD; ESPNEWS HD, ABC Family HD; Disney Channel HD; and Toon Disney HD.

“We are very excited to provide these outstanding networks to the NCTC and their membership through this agreement,” David Preschlack, executive vice president for Disney and ESPN Media Networks, said in a prepared statement. “From sports to quality family programming, this agreement provides the best in television entertainment to the NCTC’s membership base.”