YouTube TV and Disney have finally agreed a new deal, bringing an end to a dispute that had raged on throughout November. With a new deal now in place, affected channels and content have now been restored.
Key Takeaways
- YouTube TV and Disney reached a new multi-year agreement, restoring all previously dropped channels like ABC, ESPN, and FX, along with affected recordings.
- The deal includes Disney’s full portfolio, ESPN’s new Unlimited Plan at no extra cost, and options to bundle Disney+ and Hulu.
- The agreement also paves the way for genre-specific packages, potentially giving subscribers more choice and pricing options.
Disney-owned channels were removed from the YouTube TV lineup at the end of October. Since then, not only have the channels remained unavailable, but the two sides have been very vocal in making their cases to the public, placing the blame at the door of the other.
Regardless of who was ultimately to blame, the dispute has now come to an end. Late on Friday evening, YouTube TV and Disney confirmed they had reached a new, multi-year agreement.
“We’re happy to share that we’ve reached an agreement with Disney that preserves the value of our service for our subscribers and future flexibility in our offers,” YouTube TV said in an updated statement.
As part of that agreement, all of the channels previously dropped from the YouTube TV lineup, including ABC, ESPN and FX, have now returned. Considering the announcement was made on Friday, subscribers should already have regained access to the channels.
Likewise, all of the additional content affected by the dispute, including previously made recordings, have also now been restored.
As previously detailed, it did appear as though the dispute was about more than just the affected channels, and statements from both companies seem to reiterate this point.
In Disney’s case, referring to the new agreement as an evolution designed to match the needs of viewers.
“This new agreement reflects our continued commitment to delivering exceptional entertainment and evolving with how audiences choose to watch,’’ said Disney Entertainment Co-Chairmen Alan Bergman and Dana Walden and ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro.
In terms of that evolution, key elements of the new agreement include the following:
- Carriage of Disney’s full linear portfolio including all the ESPN networks, ABC, the Disney-branded channels, Freeform, the FX Networks, and the National Geographic channels
- ESPN’s new direct-to-consumer service (Unlimited Plan) to be made available at no additional cost to YouTube TV subscribers
- Access to a selection of live and on-demand programming from ESPN Unlimited inside YouTube TV
- Select networks to be included in various genre-specific packages
- The ability to include the Disney+, Hulu Bundle as part of select YouTube offerings
While both sides will continue to promote the new deal as win for their side, the real winners here could prove to be the consumers.
The agreements appears to make it possible for YouTube TV to offer genre-specific packages in the future. This is not dissimilar to the deal DirecTV agreed with Disney last year. A deal which ultimately resulted in the launch of DirecTV’s various Genre Packs in early 2025.
Assuming YouTube TV follows by offering similar skinnier packages, consumers could find they soon have more price and plan options to choose from.
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