Google’s YouTube and Walt Disney announced on Friday that they have reached an agreement to restore Disney-owned networks to YouTube TV. This comes after a fee dispute left millions of subscribers without access to US Election Day programming and major live sports events.
The full line-up of Disney channels, including ABC, ESPN, FX, and National Geographic, will return to YouTube TV from Friday, the companies stated in separate announcements.
Additionally, ESPN’s full line-up of sports, including content from ESPN Unlimited, will be available to base-plan subscribers at no additional cost by the end of 2026, according to YouTube.
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The dispute, which revolved around carriage fees—or the per-subscriber rates distributors pay to carry broadcast and cable networks—resulted in Disney’s channels going dark on October 30 on one of the largest pay-TV services in the US.
Walt Disney did not immediately respond to an inquiry about the financial terms of the deal. YouTube stated that it was not disclosing the deal’s terms.
CNBC reported last week that Disney sought rates comparable to those paid by major distributors, including approximately $10 a subscriber per month for ESPN.
YouTube TV’s rapid growth as a pay-TV platform, combined with Google’s vast financial resources, provides it with greater negotiating leverage with media companies and allows it to operate with less short-term financial pressure than traditional providers.
The service has been engaged in negotiations and carriage disputes with major media firms that were threatening to pull their networks from the platform.
Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger mentioned on Thursday that his company had proposed a deal “equal to or better than what other large distributors have already agreed to,” referring to talks with YouTube TV over the dispute.
Prospects of a prolonged fight over the distribution of Walt Disney’s television networks had concerned investors about the outlook for its already declining TV business.
Walt Disney missed quarterly revenue expectations as its cable TV weakness overshadowed strong growth in the company’s streaming and parks businesses.
Dispute casualties
Sports programming was among the casualties of the dispute, with YouTube TV users unable to watch the November 3 “Monday Night Football” game between the Arizona Cardinals and Dallas Cowboys. Disney asked YouTube TV to restore ABC for US Election Day coverage on November 4, citing public interest, but the streaming service rejected the proposal, saying a one-day return would confuse customers. YouTube said last month that Disney used the “threat of a blackout” as a negotiating tactic to force deal terms that would raise prices for its customers.
Walt Disney stated that YouTube TV was “demanding preferential treatment with lower rates and rejecting terms accepted by other partners, including Disney’s own services like Hulu + Live TV and Fubo.”
The affected Disney networks included FX, National Geographic, Nat Geo Wild, Disney Channel, and ABC News Live.
YouTube TV had said it would offer its pay-TV subscribers a $20 credit if the Disney networks remained unavailable on the platform for an extended period of time.
After a challenging negotiation period, YouTube TV struck a deal with Comcast-owned NBCUniversal to keep NBC shows such as “Sunday Night Football” and “America’s Got Talent” on the platform.
Earlier in the year, YouTube TV successfully concluded similarly difficult negotiations with Fox and Paramount, securing continued access to those networks despite initial disputes.
