Beginning on Oct. 30, over 10 million YouTube TV subscribers were outraged when they discovered that they were no longer able to access any Walt Disney-owned channels, such as ABC and ESPN, which also include ESPN+ services, ACC and SEC networks.
Disney and Google failed to come to an agreement regarding broadcast rights after their existing contract expired, causing a blackout of those channels on YouTube TV.
The companies’ dispute centers on the per-subscriber fee that Disney seeks to charge YouTube TV to access Disney content. Until they reach an agreement, ESPN content, including Monday Night Football, will remain inaccessible for YouTube TV subscribers.
In the meantime, some watchers have switched to a new TV service or have added a direct-to-consumer streaming account, such as a solo subscription to Disney+.
Fans were already finding it difficult to watch without paying, with Prime Video being the lone service to stream Thursday Night Football.
Students who use their family’s subscriptions are feeling the sting without access to cable while at school.
“It’s so unfortunate because I get almost all NFL games through Sunday Ticket on YouTube,” said sophomore Sam Weisberg.
Google, YouTube TV’s parent company, said on its website and social media that it would grant subscribers $20 in credit if Disney content remained “unavailable for an extended period of time.” The parent company of YouTube TV is doing its best to make light of the blackout.
“It’s our goal to restore Disney content to YouTube TV, but if we can’t reach an agreement and their content is unavailable for an extended period of time, we’ll offer our subscribers a $20 credit,” Google wrote in a message in its help center.
Their posts sparked further backlash from aggravated fans.
“Making people claim instead of auto-refunding when a significant piece of the product is now missing is sooo slimy,” one fan commented on X.
“I feel like we are way past a 20-dollar credit at this point,” another said.
To ensure that viewers would not miss “GameDay,” ESPN made the show available for free Saturday morning on the ESPN app with no subscription or authentication required as well as on the “The Pat McAfee Show” account on X, according to Devon Henderson of the New York Times. However, key college football matchups were left in the dark of the blackout.
The dispute demonstrates how the move to streaming has upended the experiences of media companies and consumers alike. It’s unclear how the blackout will affect YouTube TV’s long-term engagement. Despite challenges, however, many viewers still value the convenience of streaming.
“The move from cable sports to streaming services makes it a little more manageable to find and watch what you like,” Weisberg said. “It will hopefully help people save money in the long run by switching to those services.”
As of Friday, Disney and Youtube TV officially reached a new deal to bring ABC and ESPN back to the platform, ending the two week blackout.
“As part of the new deal, Disney’s full suite of networks and stations—including ESPN and ABC—have already begun to be restored to YouTube TV subscribers,” The Walt Disney Co. said in a statement.
The gradual move to streaming has been revolutionary for platforms trying to increase profits, but it remains to be seen how this will affect YouTube TV’s long-term engagement.
