Disney Channels, Including ESPN and ABC, Go Dark on YouTube TV
▼ Summary
– Disney-owned channels including ESPN, ABC, and Nat Geo were removed from YouTube TV after Google and Disney failed to reach a new distribution agreement by the October 30th deadline.
– The blackout resulted from disputes over carriage fees, with Google accusing Disney of proposing costly terms that would raise customer prices.
– Google is offering a $20 credit to subscribers if Disney’s content remains unavailable on YouTube TV for an extended period.
– The removal affects numerous channels and recordings, including content from ESPN, Disney Channel, FX, and National Geographic networks.
– Disney claims Google is refusing to pay fair rates and using market dominance to undercut industry standards, while a similar dispute occurred between the companies in 2021.
A significant programming blackout has hit YouTube TV, as more than twenty channels owned by The Walt Disney Company have been removed from the streaming service. This disruption stems from an unresolved dispute over distribution terms between Google and Disney, following the expiration of their previous carriage agreement. Subscribers have lost access to a wide array of popular networks, including ESPN, ABC, FX, and National Geographic, leaving many to wonder when, or if, these channels will return.
The core of the conflict involves carriage fees. Google publicly stated that Disney was pushing for “costly economic terms” that would inevitably lead to higher monthly bills for YouTube TV customers. In a blog post, Google characterized the channel removal as a “negotiating tactic” by Disney and expressed disappointment over the outcome. The company has promised to issue a $20 credit to subscribers if the Disney channels remain unavailable for a prolonged period.
The complete list of affected channels is extensive. It includes ABC, ESPN and its affiliated networks like ESPN2, ESPNU, and ESPNews, along with Disney Channel, Disney Junior, Disney XD, Freeform, FX, FXX, FXM, the SEC Network, National Geographic, Nat Geo Wild, ABC News Live, the ACC Network, and Localish. For customers subscribed to the Spanish-language plan, ESPN Deportes, Baby TV Español, and Nat Geo Mundo have also been pulled. This removal extends beyond live television, impacting any recorded shows and on-demand content from these channels that users had saved in their personal libraries.
Disney has presented a different perspective on the negotiations. In its own statement, the company asserted that YouTube TV made the choice to “deny their subscribers the content they value most” by refusing to agree to what Disney considers fair market rates for its channels. Disney further accused Google of leveraging its “market dominance to eliminate competition and undercut the industry-standard terms.”
This is not the first time these two corporate giants have found themselves at an impasse. A similar contract dispute arose in 2021, though it was eventually resolved. The situation stands in contrast to Google’s recent successful negotiations with NBCUniversal, which resulted in a renewal deal and prevented another major channel blackout on the YouTube TV platform.
(Source: The Verge)
