Spectrum customers can't watch FSU football on TV with ESPN blackout. Here's what to do

Some college football fans watching the Florida Gators play No. 14 Utah play on ESPN on Thursday night were greeted to a black screen and a message from their cable provider, Charter Spectrum.

The blackout was a result of a dispute between Spectrum and the Walt Disney Co. over access fees to carry Disney-owned channels, which include ABC and all ESPN channels. That means Spectrum TV customers are without access to several college football games this season, as the ACC Network and SEC Network are also owned by Disney.

Florida State faces Southern Mississippi on ACC Network on Saturday. The Seminoles are the No. 5 team in the country after beating LSU last week in a game aired on ABC.

What does that mean for college football fans in Florida? Here's what we know.

Why is ESPN not on Spectrum?

The Walt Disney Co. removed its programming, which includes ESPN, ABC, FX, Freeform and other channels, from Spectrum after the two companies failed to reach a deal over the price Spectrum pays for programming, the cable provider said Thursday.

Representatives for Charter Communications, which owns Spectrum, said the blackouts were caused by Charter's unwillingness to participate in a deal that would see prices go up for all customers, regardless of whether they were watching Disney content.

When will ESPN be back on Spectrum?

Disney's absence on Spectrum could be permanent, representatives for the cable provider said Friday. In a webcast discussion, Charter said this was "not a typical carriage dispute" and suggested the longer the two companies can't reach an agreement, the more likely Charter will have to move on without Disney content.

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How can Spectrum customers watch ESPN?

While the two companies sort out their differences, here are some ways college football fans can watch their games this season via streaming services:

Sling TV

Sling TV's Orange plan has 32 channels, including ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN3. Right now, get your first month of Sling Orange for $20. The subscription charge is $40 per month after that.

YouTube TV

You can stream major broadcasts and cable networks, including ESPN, with YouTube TV. You can also record broadcasts and add up to six accounts per household.

The subscription fee for YouTube TV is $72.99 per month, but you can start with a free trial.

ESPN+

ESPN+ is the streaming service owned by ESPN and The Walt Disney Co. ESPN+ does not provide access to ESPN's traditional TV content, but it does air other shows and sporting events.

An ESPN+ subscription costs $9.99 per month, or $99.99 per year.

FuboTV

Fubo offers ESPN and other channels, plus the ability to record your favorite shows to the Cloud DVR. The subscription service is $74.99 per month. You can try the service with a free trial first.

Hulu + Live TV

Hulu + Live TV offers over 90 channels, including ESPN, plus access to ESPN+ and Disney+. Get a subscription for $69.99 per month.

DirecTV Stream

DirecTV Stream offers four streaming packages ‒ Entertainment, Choice, Ultimate and Premier ‒ and ESPN is offered on all of them. Right now, you can subscribe to the Entertainment package for $74.99 per month.

When does FSU football play?

Florida State plays Southern Miss at 8:30 p.m. Saturday, September 10 at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee.

Victoria Moorwood of the Cincinnati Enquirer and Zac Al-Khateeb of the USA TODAY Network contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Spectrum ESPN blackout: How to watch Florida State football games