YouTube TV quietly compensates users for Disney channel loss

With YouTube TV failing to reach an agreement with Disney, the latter removed all its channels from Google’s cable TV streaming service on October 30. Back then, YouTube noted it would provide subscribers with a $20 credit if the Disney channels remained missing for an extended period of time. Now, some YouTube TV users report getting a $10 monthly credit for six months.

Ideally, Google should apply this discount automatically to all affected YouTube TV subscribers. But that’s not the case. Instead, the company buries the offer deep in the account management page on the website.

You must head to Manage membership > Manage Base plan section on the YouTube TV website from your PC to check for the credit. Even then, the discount appears to be only available for select users, and not everyone (via Reddit).

The $10 monthly credit will be applicable for six months, effectively reducing YouTube TV’s pricing to $73 and leading to a savings of $60. While that’s a decent discount, it’s not enough to make up for the loss of 20 channels from Disney’s network, including the ongoing college football, NFL, and NHL seasons.

If anything, Google should reduce YouTube TV’s monthly subscription fee by $20 to $63 or less to make up for the missing Disney channels.

Plus, Google promised a $20 credit, but it seems like it will only arrive after an “extended period of time.”

YouTube TV’s elusive $10 monthly credit is not for everyone

This is not the first time YouTube TV has offered a $10 monthly credit to selected subscribers for six months. It offered a similar discount in June this year, a few months after hiking its monthly pricing to $83.

In September, it offered an even bigger $33 discount, albeit only for two months, reducing the monthly subscription’s price to $50 and leading to savings of $66.

If you received any of the previous discounts, the new offer will likely not show up in your YouTube TV account.

Hopefully, Disney will reconsider its “costly economic terms” and reach a deal with YouTube to bring back all 20 of its channels on YouTube TV.