The Disney magic has flickered out on YouTube TV, with the company’s channels vanishing after the contract negotiations between the two companies broke down.
The cutoff happened even before the previous agreement officially ended at midnight ET, with both sides unable to settle their pricing dispute.
Disney has been pushing for higher fees, something Google isn’t willing to sign off on.
How to get a refund?
With the blackout in effect, YouTube TV said it will issue a one-time $20 bill credit if the outage stretches on.
“We know this is a frustrating and disappointing outcome for our subscribers and we continue to urge Disney to work with us constructively to reach a fair agreement that restores their networks to YouTube TV. If their content remains off YouTube TV for an extended period of time, we’ll offer subscribers a $20 credit,” said a YouTube representative, as quoted by Variety.
The platform currently charges $82.99 a month for its base plan. Viewers across the country are now without their local ABC stations and all ESPN programming, from NFL and college football to NBA and NHL broadcasts.
What happened?
Google announced that the removal of Disney-owned networks would start at 9 p.m. PT on Oct. 30, but many customers reported losing access sooner than that. The company has also begun wiping DVR recordings connected to those channels.
Disney had already warned viewers on October 23 that its networks were at risk of being dropped.
YouTube TV remains the largest internet-based live TV provider in the U.S., with over 10 million subscribers. Disney is next in line after folding Hulu + Live TV into Fubo in a recent deal, bringing its combined North American subscriber count to nearly 6 million.
The networks which will be pulled are: ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNews, Freeform, FX, FXX, FXM, Disney Channel, Disney Junior, Disney XD, SEC Network, Nat Geo, Nat Geo Wild, ABC News Live, ACC Network, Localish; on the Spanish plan, ESPN Deportes, Baby TV Español and Nat Geo Mundo.
Disney vs Charter showdown
In 2023, Disney and Charter were locked in a very public showdown over a renewal agreement, though the two companies ultimately struck a deal just in time to prevent a prolonged blackout.
A year later, ESPN and other Disney-owned networks vanished from DirecTV for almost two weeks before the sides managed to settle their dispute.
Earlier this month, Disney quietly renewed its carriage agreement with Comcast, marking one of the few recent negotiations that wrapped up without any tension.
Back in December 2021, Disney and Google resolved their own contract clash after a brief two-day blackout on YouTube TV. The service itself has only been around since April 2017, but it has already weathered several high-profile carriage battles.
YouTube TV,Disney channels,ESPN,ABC,contract negotiations
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