No YouTube TV-Disney deal yet, subscribers may get $20 credit as ABC, ESPN, other 21 channels go dark

Google's YouTube TV said on Thursday that Disney's channels, including ESPN and ABC, are not currently available on its platform as the two companies failed to reach a new licensing deal.

YouTube TV said in a post on social media platform X, “Our contract with Disney has reached its renewal date, and we'll not agree to terms that disadvantage our members while benefiting Disney's TV products."

“Despite our best efforts, we have not been able to reach a fair deal, and starting today, Disney programming will not be available on YouTube TV. This means you will no longer be able to watch channels like ABC and ESPN or access recordings from these networks in your Library,” YouTube TV said in a series of posts.

Subscribers may get $20 credit if…

Google's YouTube said in the statement that it's their goal to restore Disney content to YouTube TV, but “if we can't reach an agreement and their content is unavailable for an extended period of time, we’ll offer our subscribers a $20 credit.”

It said one can continue to watch Disney’s sports programming by signing up for ESPN directly.

List of affected YouTube TV channels

1. ABC
2. ESPN
3. ESPN2
4. Freeform
5. FX
6. FXX
7. Disney Junior
8. SEC Network
9. Nat Geo
10. Nat Geo Wild
11. Disney Channel
12. ESPNU
13. FXM
14. ABC News Live
15. ACC Network
16. Disney XD
17. Localish
18. ESPNews
19. ESPN Deportes (Spanish Plan)
20. Baby TV Español (Spanish Plan)
21. Nat Geo Mundo (Spanish Plan)

Affected add-ons

1. 4K Plus

2. Spanish Plus

YouTube TV, one of the biggest pay-TV distributors in the US, has been locked in a string of negotiations with legacy media companies this year.

Earlier this month, the company, after a difficult negotiation period, reached a deal with Comcast-owned NBCUniversal to keep NBC shows such as "Sunday Night Football" and "America's Got Talent" on YouTube TV.

YouTube TV also struck deals with Fox and Paramount earlier this year after contract negotiations threatened networks from going dark on the Google-owned service.

"With a $3 trillion market cap, Google is using its market dominance to eliminate competition and undercut the industry-standard terms we've successfully negotiated with every other distributor," a Disney spokesperson said in a statement.

The spokesperson added that Disney was committed to working toward a resolution as quickly as possible.