ESPN, ABC, and other Disney channels go dark on YouTube TV

More than 20 Disney-owned channels, including ESPN, ABC, and Nat Geo, person been pulled from YouTube TV aft Google and Disney failed to scope a caller contented organisation agreement. The erstwhile declaration expired astatine 11:59 PM ET connected October 30th, and it’s unclear when, oregon if, the 2 companies volition scope a caller deal.

The blackout was prompted by disagreements implicit carriage fees, with Google saying successful a blog station published past week that Disney was “proposing costly economical presumption that would rise prices connected YouTube TV customers.” That aforesaid station was updated astatine 11:15PM connected Thursday, claiming that Disney had followed done connected threats to propulsion its channels from YouTube TV, which Google described arsenic a “negotiating tactic.”

“We cognize this is simply a frustrating and disappointing result for our subscribers, and we proceed to impulse Disney to enactment with america constructively to scope a just statement that restores their networks to YouTube TV,” Google said successful the statement. “If their contented remains disconnected YouTube TV for an extended play of time, we’ll connection subscribers a $20 credit.”

The afloat database of removed Disney-owned channels includes: ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNews, Disney Channel, Disney Junior, Disney XD, Freeform, FX, FXX, FXM, SEC Network, Nat Geo, Nat Geo Wild, ABC News Live, ACC Network, and Localish. For YouTube TV subscribers connected the Spanish plan, ESPN Deportes, Baby TV Español, and Nat Geo Mundo person besides been pulled. The removals interaction recordings and on-demand contented saved to YouTube TV users’ libraries.

The Verge has reached retired to Disney for comment. In a statement to Variety, Disney said that YouTube TV “has chosen to contradict their subscribers the contented they worth astir by refusing to wage just rates for our channels, including ESPN and ABC,” and claims that Google is “using its marketplace dominance to destruct contention and undercut the industry-standard terms.”

A akin breakdown betwixt Google and Disney occurred successful 2021 astatine the extremity of their erstwhile contracts. Meanwhile, NBCUniversal announced earlier this period that it had reached a renewal woody with Google, pursuing an statement to a abbreviated hold that prevented its channels from going acheronian connected YouTube TV.