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Bad news for YouTube TV users: You’re missing out on a significant chunk of video programming from ABC and ESPN as Google and Disney struggle to reach a licensing deal.
On Thursday night, YouTube TV parent Google announced it was losing access to Disney content, including the Disney Channel, FX and NetGeo, after negotiations to renew the content’s licensing broke down.
(Credit: Google)
Google is blaming the Mickey Mouse Company. “Unfortunately, Disney is proposing expensive economic terms that will raise prices on YouTube TV subscribers and give our customers less choice, while benefiting Disney’s own live TV products like Hulu+ Live TV and, soon, Fobo,” the company wrote in a blog post.
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Google also claimed that Disney raised the “blackout threat” as a negotiating tactic last week before following up on Thursday. But Disney tells The Associated Press that Google refuses to pay a fair rate for valuable content
“With a market cap of $3 trillion, Google is using its market dominance to eliminate competition and reduce industry standard terms that we have successfully negotiated with every other distributor,” the company reportedly said.
Disney is also lobbying consumers to complain to YouTube TV. Even ESPN host Scott Van Pelt tweeted a link to a dedicated webpage that offers different ways users can access the Google-owned service. Meanwhile, YouTube TV says it is still committed to working with Disney on reaching a licensing deal.
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Every month for YouTube TV base plan. At 82.99 is already quite valuable, which is about a year ago per month. 72.99 had increased. Google says that if Disney “makes content unavailable for an extended period of time, we will offer our customers a $20 credit.”
Google’s support page also notes: “Recordings of Disney content (on YouTube TV accounts) will be removed. If we are able to reach an agreement with Disney and bring their content back to YouTube TV, users will have access to recordings that were previously in their library.”
We just went through this with YouTube TV and Fox in August. The two reached an agreement before dropping the channels.
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About our expert
Michael Kahn
Senior reporter
Experience
I have been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite Internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware and more. I am currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country’s technology sector.
Since 2020, I’ve covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX’s StarLink satellite Internet service, writing 600+ stories on availability and feature launches, but also regulatory battles over expanding satellite constellations, battles with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and efforts to expand satellite-based mobile service. I’ve combed through FCC filings for the latest news and reached out to remote corners of California to test StarLink’s cellular service.
I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. Earlier this year, the FTC forced Avast to pay $16.5 million for secretly harvesting and selling its personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint Investigation Along with the motherboard
I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages led me to camp out in front of a Best Buy to get an RTX 3000. Now I’m following how President Trump’s tariffs will affect the industry. I’m always eager to learn more, so please jump into the comments with feedback and send me pointers.
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