Overview
- Disney-owned channels including ABC, ESPN, FX and National Geographic have been off YouTube TV since Oct. 30, cutting off access for roughly 10 million subscribers.
- Disney asked for ABC to be restored for Nov. 4 election coverage, but YouTube TV declined, saying a one‑day return would confuse customers and noting most tuned-in viewers didn’t watch ABC on the last two elections.
- Sports programming has been disrupted, with subscribers missing marquee college football over the weekend and facing the loss of Monday Night Football between the Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals.
- YouTube TV says it will issue a one-time $20 credit if the outage lasts an extended period, while Disney points viewers to ABC News Live and has made select ESPN content available on X and the ESPN app without a paywall.
- Disney contends Google is refusing to pay fair rates and leveraging market power, while YouTube TV argues Disney’s demands would raise prices and favor its own services such as Hulu + Live TV and its new ESPN offerings.