Alphabet and Disney announced that they have agreed on a deal to reinstate the content of ABC and ESPN on Google’s YouTube TV on Friday.
The agreement follows a two-week standoff between the two companies, which began on October 31. The impasse led to the absence of various live sporting events, such as college football games and two Monday Night Football games on the popular streaming service.
In a statement, YouTube reported that “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. Subscribers should see channels including ABC, ESPN, and FX returning to their service over the course of the day, as well as any recordings that were previously in their Library. We apologize for the disruption and appreciate our subscribers’ patience as we negotiated on their behalf.”
In a statement, in context to agreement, Disney Entertainment’s Co-chairs Alan Bergman and Dana Walden, with Chairperson of ESPN, James Pitaro, stated that “how audiences choose to watch” entertainment.
They further added that “We are pleased that our networks have been restored in time for fans to enjoy the many great programming options this weekend, including college football.”
More than 20 channels owned by Disney were dropped from YouTube TV, which provided its subscribers with $20 credits this week as part of the dispute. Alongside ABC and ESPN, other networks, which were unavailable, were FX, NatGeo, Disney Channel, and Freeform.
The most significant point of contention between the two firms was the price that Disney would charge YouTube TV for its networks.
Disney is the most lucrative network, ESPN, which costs more than $10 a month per pay-TV subscriber, more than any other network in the U.S., CNBC had reported earlier.
Therefore, this is not just the first clash of this year between YouTube and legacy media.
NBCUniversal would have been taken off YouTube TV exactly before the companies came to an agreement in October, and shows such as “Sunday Night Football” and “America’s Got Talent” would be left off the list of shows that would need removal.
YouTube TV also had a standoff with Fox that nearly led to Fox News, Fox Sports, and other Fox channels going dark on the platform right before the beginning of the college football season in August.
Meanwhile, they could reach an agreement to avoid the blackout between the two sides. YouTube indicated that it can opt for future program packages with Disney and other partners.
By the end of 2026, Disney announced that the subscribers of YouTube TV would have access to a choice of live and on-demand programming on ESPN+ Unlimited, which will comprise content on ESPN+ as well as new content on its all-inclusive digital service at no extra cost on YouTube TV.
