Overview
- Disney channels including ABC, ESPN, FX and National Geographic are returning after about two weeks of outage for roughly 10 million YouTube TV subscribers, with DVR libraries being restored.
- ESPN’s full lineup, including content from ESPN Unlimited, will be included in the base plan at no extra cost by the end of 2026, with some live and on-demand programming accessible within YouTube TV.
- The multi-year pact preserves distributor flexibility for future genre-specific channel packages and permits YouTube to sell a Disney+/Hulu bundle within select offerings.
- Financial terms were not disclosed, while YouTube TV’s one-time $20 credit for affected customers remains available to eligible subscribers.
- The dispute centered on carriage rates and packaging terms, drew in senior executives from both companies, disrupted major college football and two Monday Night Football broadcasts, and was estimated by Morgan Stanley to cost Disney more than $4 million per day.