At least you’ll pay less if it does happen
Google and Roku had a public showdown earlier this year that led to the latter removing YouTube TV from its platform due to Google’s “unfair and anticompetitive requirements.” After months of back and forth and public mudslinging, both companies finally kissed and made up paving the way for the TV streaming service to return to Roku. Now, if you thought all YouTube TV-related drama was over, prepare to be disappointed. In a blog post, YouTube TV says that its deal to distribute Disney’s content on its platform will expire later this week on December 17, 2021. While both companies have been in negotiations for a while now, they have not been able to reach agreeable terms.
Google says that it is only asking Disney to treat YouTube TV like any other TV provider, i.e., offering them the same rates that other TV providers of a similar scale pay. While Google welcomes a renewed agreement with “equitable terms,” if that does not happen, it will remove Disney channels from the streaming TV service starting December 17. In that case, the company will lower the monthly base package price of YouTube TV from $64.99 to $49.99 — a $15 reduction.
Disney itself has issued a statement on the matter (via Hollywood Reporter), saying it hopes to reach a “fair, market-based agreement” with Google soon.
“Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution has a highly successful track record of negotiating such agreements with providers of all types and sizes across the country and is committed to working with Google to reach a fair, market-based agreement. We are optimistic that we can reach a deal and continue to provide their YouTube TV customers with our live sporting events and news coverage plus kids, family and general entertainment programming.”
YouTube TV subscribers will lose access to the following channels if the deal between Google and Disney does not go through by the end of this week:
- Your local ABC channel
- ABC News Live
- Disney Channel
- Disney Junior
- Disney XD
- Freeform
- FX
- FXX
- FXM
- National Geographic
- National Geographic Wild
- ESPN
- ESPN2
- ESPN3 (by authentication to the ESPN app)
- ESPNU
- ESPNEWS
- SEC Network
- ACC Network
In case you are unhappy with Disney content going off-air from YouTube TV, you can always pause or cancel your membership. Google does point existing subscribers to sign up for The Disney Bundle, which is the latter’s own streaming service that’s available for $13.99/month, from where they can watch some of Disney’s content.
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