Charter Communications, the cable giant that owns the Spectrum TV brand, experienced a significant setback in the third quarter, losing a staggering 320,000 video customers. This was primarily attributed to the high-profile carriage dispute with The Walt Disney Co., resulting in a 6 percent decline in Charter's customer base.

Comparatively, in the same period last year, Charter had only lost 211,000 video customers. Additionally, in the first two quarters of this year, the company saw a loss of approximately 200,000 subscribers. The substantial increase in customer disconnections was largely driven by the temporary loss of Disney programming in early September.

Charter's Chief Financial Officer, Jessica Fischer, revealed that the company suffered an additional loss of around 100,000 subscribers due to the carriage dispute. The timing of the dispute was particularly challenging as it coincided with key events such as the U.S. Open tennis tournament and the launch of the NFL season.

During the dispute, Charter CEO Chris Winfrey characterized the situation as a crucial moment that would determine the company's future. Winfrey declared, "We're on the edge of a precipice. We're either moving forward with a new collaborative video model, or we're moving on. This is not a typical carriage dispute. It's significant for Charter, and we think it's even more significant for programmers and the broader video ecosystem."

After weeks of negotiations, Charter and Disney reached a new agreement, which included the integration of Disney+ into Charter's core video offering. However, as part of the deal, several Disney cable channels, including Freeform, Disney Junior, and Disney XD, would be removed from Charter's lineup. Dana Walden, co-chair of Disney's entertainment division, acknowledged that the company had to make trade-offs but firmly believed that the deal would lead to a profitable streaming business.

Looking ahead, Winfrey indicated that Charter aims to pursue similar deals with other programmers, aiming to modernize distribution agreements upon renewal. The company seeks packaging flexibility and value for customers, while avoiding duplicate payments for similar direct-to-consumer and linear programming. Winfrey stated, "Our goal is to modernize these agreements quietly and seamlessly for our mutual customer base."

In a bid to enhance its video content offerings, Charter, along with Comcast, recently introduced the Xumo platform. This platform will serve as a focal point for video content, providing customers with an improved viewing experience.

Charter reported revenue of $13.6 billion in the quarter, representing a slight 0.2 percent increase compared to the same period last year. This revenue growth was primarily driven by an upturn in both Internet and mobile customer relationships.

Despite the loss of video customers and the challenges faced during the carriage dispute with Disney, Charter remains optimistic about its future prospects.