Overview
- Disney executives told staff another sports-heavy weekend will pass without a deal, leaving roughly 10 million YouTube TV subscribers without ESPN, ABC and other Disney networks.
- YouTube publicly proposed immediately restoring ABC and the ESPN networks while talks continue after declining Disney’s Election Day-only ABC request, but no channels have returned.
- YouTube says Disney is seeking rates above Charter and DirecTV and misrepresenting facts, while Disney says YouTube wants below‑market preferential terms and that its offer would cost less than the prior license with flexible package options.
- A survey cited by multiple reports found 24% of sampled YouTube TV users say they have canceled or plan to if ESPN remains unavailable; YouTube characterizes churn as manageable and plans a one-time $20 credit if the outage persists.
- Reported impacts include a 2025 Monday Night Football ratings drop versus last year and estimates of about $5 million in daily Disney losses, with Eagles–Packers on Monday at risk for YouTube TV viewers absent a late agreement.