YouTube TV is losing ESPN, ABC, and other channels amid Disney contract dispute

Customers will no longer be able to watch ESPN or ABC programming on YouTube TV.Matthias Balk/picture alliance via Getty ImagesDisney channels, including ESPN and ABC, are being pulled from YouTube TV.Disney and YouTube could not agree on a new deal to license its content, YouTube told customers.The change is effective immediately, YouTube said.Disney-owned channels like ESPN and ABC will no longer be available on YouTube TV after the two parties failed to agree on a new deal, YouTube said late on Thursday.The blackout means YouTube TV subscribers are unable to watch channels like ABC and ESPN or access recordings from those networks in their libraries."Our current agreement with Disney has approached its renewal date, and we will not agree to terms that disadvantage our members while benefiting Disney's own live TV products," YouTube TV said in an email to subscribers."Despite our best efforts, we have not been able to reach a fair deal, and starting today, October 30, 2025, Disney programming will not be available on YouTube TV," it added.In a statement shared on its blog, YouTube said Disney "used the threat of a blackout on YouTube TV as a negotiating tactic to force deal terms that would raise prices on our customers.""This decision directly harms our subscribers while benefiting their own live TV products," it added.A Disney spokesperson said that Google, YouTube's parent company, had refused to pay fair rates for its channels."With a $3 trillion market cap, Google is using its market dominance to eliminate competition and undercut the industry-standard terms we've successfully negotiated with every other distributor," the Disney spokesperson said in a statement.YouTube TV said in its email to customers that it was working to bring Disney content back to the platform."We're committed to continuing to work with Disney to reach an agreement, but if their content is unavailable for an extended period of time, we'll offer our subscribers a $20 credit." It did not specify how long it would consider an extended period of time to be.Disputes about carriage and distribution deals aren't uncommon in the broadcasting industry, and have often resulted in short-term blackouts. In 2023, Disney was locked in an ugly dispute with Charter that resulted in channels like ESPN briefly being taken off the air for the cable company's millions of subscribers. In 2024, Disney yanked its networks from DirecTV for a two-week period.YouTube also had tense carriage negotiations with the likes of NBCUniversal and Fox in recent months, though deals were reached before channels went dark.YouTube has become a powerful force in TV, giving it significant leverage in such talks. YouTube is the top media distributor in the US, capturing 12.6% of watch-time in September, according to Nielsen.YouTube TV, its cable-like offering that costs $82.99 a month in the US, had "more than 8 million subscribers," according to an October press release.Paolo Pescatore, an independent tech and media analyst, predicts further carriage disputes involving YouTube, Disney, and other companies as they battle to own the subscriber relationship."There is so much at stake," Pescatore told Business Insider. In this particular skirmish, Pescatore added, "Ultimately, the losers are users, and, to a certain extent, Google."Which YouTube TV channels are affected?The following channels are affected, according to YouTube TV:ABCESPNESPN2FreeformFXFXXDisney JuniorSEC NetworkNat GeoNat Geo WildDisney ChannelESPNUFXMABC News LiveACC NetworkDisney XDLocalishESPNewsESPN Deportes (Spanish Plan)Baby TV Español (Spanish Plan)Nat Geo Mundo (Spanish Plan)Read the original article on Business Insider

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