Last week, Google warned that if it failed to reach a distribution agreement with Disney by October 30, it would have to remove the latter’s channel from YouTube TV. Unfortunately, both companies couldn’t reach an agreement, leading to all Disney network channels — including Hulu + Live TV and ESPN — disappearing from the cable TV streaming service.
Last week, the YouTube team publicly called out Disney for its “costly economic terms” as part of their new distribution agreement. It noted that Disney’s move would end up giving YouTube TV viewers fewer choices, while benefiting Disney’s own products.
Despite the public drama, Disney appears to have stood firm on its impractical terms. In an update, the YouTube team confirmed that Disney followed through on its threat, resulting in all Disney-owned content being pulled from YouTube TV.
In total, 20 channels from Disney’s network are no longer available on YouTube TV. The full list is as follows:
- ABC and ABC News Live
- ACC Network
- Baby TV Español
- Disney XD
- Disney channel
- Disney Junior
- ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPNU
- ESPNews
- ESPN Deportes
- Freeform
- FX
- FXX
- Localish
- Nat Geo and Nat Geo Wild
- Nat Geo Mundo
- SEC Network
The YouTube team has urged Disney to “work with us constructively to reach a fair agreement that restores their networks to YouTube TV.”
If that does not happen soon, YouTube will offer existing subscribers a $20 credit to make up for the missing channels. That’s unlikely to make up for angry users who will miss out on the ongoing NFL, college football, and NBA seasons due to the missing Disney content.
YouTube TV keeps running into agreement issues
This isn’t the first time YouTube TV has faced tough negotiations with a channel partner — and it’s not the second, either. In fact, this marks the fourth such dispute in just the past three months this year alone. YouTube has had such public standoffs with several of its channel partners in the past.
Back in August, YouTube had a very public standoff with Fox, putting the network’s channels at risk of disappearing from the platform. Thankfully, both sides struck a deal at the last minute. Talks with NBCUniversal went far more smoothly, resulting in a multi-year agreement that secured access to popular channels like NBC, USA, Syfy, CNBC, and Telemundo.
