Disney Channels Go Dark on YouTube TV in Contract Dispute Disney has pulled its channels from YouTube TV after the two companies failed to reach a new distribution agreement by their deadline. The blackout affects a significant portion of the live TV service’s content, including ESPN, local ABC stations, ABC News, FX, National Geographic, Disney Channel, and Freeform. In a public statement, YouTube accused Disney of using the blackout as a negotiating tactic to force a deal that would ultimately raise prices for YouTube TV subscribers. They stated that Disney’s decision harms viewers while benefiting its own competing live TV services, namely Hulu + Live TV and Fubo. Disney has fired back with its own accusations. In a separate statement, Disney claimed that YouTube TV is the one at fault for refusing to pay fair market rates for its channels, including the highly valued ESPN and ABC. Disney further accused Google, YouTube TV’s parent company, of leveraging its market dominance to undercut standard industry terms that other pay-TV providers have agreed to. This is not the first time the two media giants have had such a public standoff. In 2021, YouTube TV similarly lost access to Disney channels, but a new deal was struck and the channels were restored within a single day. This history suggests that negotiations are likely still ongoing behind the scenes. To appease subscribers, YouTube TV has announced it will offer a $20 credit if the Disney channels remain unavailable for an extended period. This dispute is part of a broader pattern for YouTube TV, which has faced several high-stakes carriage fee negotiations over the past year. The service narrowly avoided losing Paramount content, including CBS and Nickelodeon, in February and faced a similar last-minute scramble to secure a deal with Fox in August. More recently, YouTube TV managed to reach a multi-year agreement with NBCUniversal just in time, though it did ultimately lose access to Univision, the largest Spanish-language broadcaster in the US. These recurring conflicts highlight the ongoing challenges and financial pressures in the live TV streaming market.
