Disney wants to “make sure that we agree to a deal that reflects the value that we deliver,” CEO Bob Iger said on Nov. 13.
ESPN, ABC go dark on YouTube TV. Here’s how you can still watch your favorite events and shows
Content from Disney, which owns ESPN and ABC, was pulled from YouTube TV after a carriage agreement expired on Thursday.
Scripps News
It’s been more than two weeks since Disney’s content was pulled from YouTube TV, and the dispute doesn’t appear to have an end in sight.
Disney-owned channels, including ESPN and ABC, were removed from YouTube TV on Oct. 30 after the companies could not reach a new contractual agreement.
YouTube TV, which is owned by Google, has accused Disney of proposing “costly economic terms that would raise prices on YouTube TV customers and give our customers fewer choices.” Because of the disruption, YouTube TV has offered subscribers a $20 credit.
On the other hand, Disney has said Google “is using its market dominance to eliminate competition and undercut the industry-standard terms we’ve successfully negotiated with every other distributor.” In a note to employees on Nov. 7, Disney said it had made concessions in the negotiations, including offering YouTube TV a deal “that would cost less overall than the terms of our recently expired license.”
Here’s the latest.
Disney executive says YouTube TV negotiations ‘could go for a little while’
In a call with investors on Nov. 13, Disney Chief Financial Officer Hugh Johnston said the company is prepared that negotiations with YouTube TV “could go for a little while.” He didn’t provide further comment on an expected timeline.
Disney CEO Bob Iger also said on the call that its offer to YouTube is “commensurate with deals that we’ve already struck” with other distributors.
“While we’ve been working tirelessly to close this deal and restore our channels to the platform, it’s also imperative that we make sure that we agree to a deal that reflects the value that we deliver, which both YouTube, by the way, and Alphabet have told us is greater than the value of any other provider,” Iger said.
USA TODAY has reached out to YouTube TV for further comment.
See timeline of Disney, YouTube TV contract dispute
The quarrel between Disney and YouTube TV began in mid-October. While YouTube TV has faced contract issues with other networks in recent months, this one has had the largest consumer impact, by far. Here’s the full timeline:
Oct. 23: YouTube TV warns subscribers that Disney content could be removed if a new contract agreement isn’t reached by 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 30.Oct. 30: Disney content is pulled from platform.Nov. 3: Google rejects Disney’s plea to restore content for 24 hours on Election Day.Nov. 7: Disney executives say in a note to employees that “we are headed into another sports-packed weekend” without its programming on YouTube TV.Nov. 9: YouTube TV issues $20 credit to subscribers for disruption.Nov. 13: Disney Chief Financial Officer Hugh Johnston said negotiations with YouTube TV “could go for a little while.”Which Disney channels were pulled from YouTube TV?
Here is the full list of Disney channels that are currently unavailable on YouTube TV, per Google:
ABCABC News LiveACC NetworkDisney ChannelDisney JuniorDisney XDESPNESPNewsESPN2ESPNUFreeformFXFXMFXXLocalishNat GeoNat Geo WildSEC NetworkSpanish-language plan: ESPN Deportes, Baby TV Español, Nat Geo Mundo
Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. She can be reached at melina.khan@usatoday.com.Â