Topline
Disney asked YouTube TV to restore access to ABC for its customers on Election Day, several sockets This was reported days after Disney channels went dark on the streaming service as the two companies clashed over pricing and failed to renew their contracts.
NurPhoto via Getty Images
Key facts
This is what a Disney spokesperson said Term the company asked YouTube TV to restore access to ABC before Election Day on Tuesday “so subscribers can access the information they rely on,” adding that it would be a “small step for their customers as we continue to work toward a fair agreement.”
Disney channels went dark on YouTube TV around midnight Eastern time Friday when the company’s current contract expired, leaving YouTube TV’s 10 million subscribers without access to ABC, ESPN, FX and more channels.
The two companies have reportedly clashed over pricing: Disney has accused YouTube of “refusing to pay fair rates for our channels,” but YouTube said Disney insists on ‘deal terms that would increase prices for our customers’ Deadline reported.
In a statement to Terma Disney spokesperson accused YouTube’s parent company Google of choosing to “deny their subscribers the content they value most” and “using its market dominance to eliminate competition and undermine the industry-standard terms we have successfully negotiated with every other distributor.”
However, it is unclear how long the blackout will last YouTube TV has said it will offer customers a $20 credit if Disney-owned channels are unavailable for an “extended period.”
Forbes has reached out to Disney and YouTube TV for comment.
Which Channels Are Affected by the YouTube TV-Disney Blackout?
Disney owned channels now not available to stream on YouTube TV include sports networks ESPN and ESPN2, major television network ABC and numerous others including Disney Channel, FX, Freeform, National Geographic and Spanish-language channels including ESPN Deportes, Baby TV Español and Nat Geo Mundo.
Which major television shows could be affected by this?
The outages could hinder access to major sporting events, including college football games broadcast on ESPN. Two top teams, the Texas Longhorns and Vanderbilt Commodores, will battle it out Saturday afternoon in a game that will air on ABC, while the Notre Dame-Boston College and Southern Methodist University-University of Miami games will take place Saturday afternoon on ESPN. Other broadcasts for ABC that could be affected include the late night show “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and other primetime programming scheduled for next week, such as “Dancing with the Stars,” “Abbott Elementary,” “The Golden Bachelor,” “Shark Tank” and “9-1-1.” Many ABC shows are made available to stream on Disney’s Disney+ and Hulu streaming services.
Important background
Disney isn’t the only company to face a contract dispute with YouTube TV in recent months, although some other recent disputes were resolved before a blackout. NBCUniversal-owned channels nearly left YouTube TV when its contract with the streaming service expired at the end of September, but the companies signed a short-term deal to keep NBC channels running while they ironed out terms for a long-term deal, which was reached days later. The dispute also concerned pricing, such as Google accused NBCUniversal allegedly “asked us to pay more than what they charge consumers for the same content on Peacock, which would mean less flexibility and higher prices for our subscribers.” Paramount’s channels nearly went off the air on YouTube TV in February because the companies disagreed on pricing, with YouTube TV saying it aimed for a “fair agreement” that was reached “without passing any additional costs on to our subscribers.” The companies reached a temporary agreement to avoid a blackout and secured one agreement days later.
Read more
Disney warns that YouTube TV could drop ABC, ESPN and more networks in fee dispute (Variety)
NBCU, Google Ink long-term carriage agreement for YouTube TV, which will add the relaunched NBC Sports Network this fall (Variety)
#Disney #asks #YouTube #restore #access #ABC #Election #Day