Disney and YouTube TV have ended their high-profile carriage dispute, signing a new multi-year distribution deal that restores ABC, ESPN and the rest of Disney’s linear portfolio to the Google-owned live TV streamer after a two-week blackout.
Disney’s networks were pulled from YouTube TV on 30 October after the previous contract expired without a renewal, leaving millions of US subscribers without access to major sports events, entertainment channels and US Election Day coverage. The deal announced Friday brings back ABC, ESPN, FX, National Geographic and Disney Channel, among others, with channels and recordings now being re-enabled on the service.
While financial terms have not been disclosed, the stand-off centred on carriage fees – the per-subscriber rates distributors pay for broadcast and cable networks. Reports during the blackout suggested Disney was seeking around $10 (about €9) per month per subscriber for ESPN, with the company arguing its rates were in line with other large US distributors, and YouTube TV accusing Disney of demanding above-market pricing and preferential terms.
Under the new agreement, YouTube TV retains carriage of Disney’s full linear line-up and will also add ESPN’s forthcoming direct-to-consumer service, ESPN Unlimited, to its base plan at no extra cost by the end of 2026. The deal gives YouTube TV the ability to place selected Disney networks into genre-based add-on packs and to sell the Disney+ and Hulu bundle within certain subscription options, while some ESPN Unlimited live and on-demand content will be accessible directly within the YouTube TV interface.
The blackout underlined the financial stakes for both sides. Morgan Stanley estimated the dispute was costing Disney around $30 million (about €28 million) in revenue each week, while YouTube TV – which has north of 8–10 million subscribers – sought to limit churn by offering customers a one-time $20 (about €19) bill credit, which can still be claimed for a limited period following the resolution. A consumer survey cited during the dispute suggested almost a quarter of YouTube TV users had cancelled or planned to cancel over the loss of Disney channels, though YouTube has said actual churn was “manageable”.
For Disney, the agreement closes its longest blackout on YouTube TV to date and follows a string of high-stakes carriage clashes with traditional US pay-TV operators including DirecTV, Charter and Dish over the past three years. For YouTube TV, it is the latest in a series of hard-fought renewals with major programmers as virtual MVPDs push to keep package prices competitive while still carrying premium sports and entertainment brands.
