YouTube TV Just Lost 20 Channels, and It Won’t Be the Last Time
Due to another round of ongoing negotiations, YouTube TV just lost access to all Disney-owned content, including channels like ESPN and ABC, among others. If you fire up the TV and realize YouTube TV is missing 20 stations, just know that they'll likely be back soon, and this won't be the last time it happens.
Last week, Google warned that if the two couldn't reach a new agreement, subscribers could lose those channels on October 30th. The company then went on to publicly call out Disney, stating that the content provider wasn't negotiating in good faith and wasn't offering YouTube TV the same contract other services received.
As of October 31st, about 20 channels are missing from YouTube TV, as the two couldn't reach a deal. Google has since added a small notice at the top of the screen, and we'll have to wait and see how things shake out. This is bad news for everyone, especially with Halloween movies disappearing, not to mention endless sports that'll be airing throughout the weekend.
In total, 20 Disney-owned channels are now missing from YouTube TV. Here's the complete list:
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ABC and ABC News Live
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ACC Network
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Baby TV Español
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Disney XD, Disney Channel, Disney Junior
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ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPNU
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ESPN News, ESPN Deportes
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Freeform
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FX, FXX
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Localish
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Nat Geo, Nat Geo Wild, Nat Geo Mundo
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SEC Network
That said, we have some good news. For starters, YouTube says it will refund subscribers $20 if the channels are off the network for too long. Additionally, Disney doesn't want to lose viewers, and YouTube doesn't want to give anyone $20, so there's a very good chance the two will announce a deal by the end of the day. When and if that happens, we'll update this article.
Does this story sound familiar? We've heard it time and time again. Earlier this month, YouTube TV had a similar public battle with NBC that went down to the wire. Google made similar comments about FOX in August before reaching a deal, and in February, users shortly lost access to Paramount Network and CBS Sports before a short-term deal saved the day.
If you're a longtime YouTube TV subscriber, you're very familiar with these types of carriage disputes. Essentially, YouTube TV's license to distribute Disney content is about to expire, and neither side can agree on terms and pricing for the new deal.
We've heard the main issue this time is ESPN Unlimited , a new all-access streaming service with endless sports. Many providers, such as DirecTV, Sling TV, and others, give it to subscribers for free, and YouTube wants to offer the same. That's likely just one wrinkle in a bigger negotiation, but no one on the outside knows for sure.
YouTube TV is already one of the most expensive live TV streaming services, and if the deal with Disney is too expensive, it'll have to pass on "additional costs to subscribers," and no one wants that.
In closing, YouTube TV has officially lost 20 channels from Disney, but I'm pretty confident they'll be back within a day or two, just like always.
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Source: Variety
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