Overview
- The dispute that pulled ABC, ESPN and other Disney networks from YouTube TV on October 30 remains unresolved, with multiple reports saying the parties remain far apart heading into another football weekend.
- YouTube told Reuters it is ready to reach a fair agreement and accused Disney of seeking higher rates than rivals, and it publicly proposed immediately restoring ABC and the ESPN networks while negotiations continue.
- Disney executives told employees they offered an overall lower‑cost renewal with flexible channel packages and said YouTube TV is insisting on below‑market, preferential terms with few concessions.
- Roughly 10 million YouTube TV subscribers are affected, with ratings declines reported for ESPN’s Monday Night Football and industry estimates citing multi‑million‑dollar daily distribution revenue losses for Disney.
- A Drive Research survey found about 24% of sampled YouTube TV users have canceled or plan to if ESPN stays dark, though YouTube questioned the study and said churn is manageable, and it has floated a $20 credit if the outage becomes extended.