It’s not easy running a live TV streaming service, especially when you have to rely on other companies for content. Despite this, YouTube was able to navigate some hairy contracts over the past few months, but it didn’t manage to close the deal with Disney. This left YouTube TV subscribers without access to popular TV channels like ESPN, FX, Disney, ABC, and many more.
In fact, despite ongoing negotiations, Disney wanted YouTube to restore access to ABC for Election Day coverage, but YouTube refused, citing that it would create “more confusion.” With all of this back and forth, it’s really the customers that lose. But things have now escalated even further, with Google pulling Movies Anywhere support from Play Movies and YouTube.
Less than ideal for all involved
The news comes from 9to5Google, with a Movies Anywhere support page stating that “Google Play/YouTube will no longer participate in the Movies Anywhere program.” This change occurred on October 31, 2025, and as you can imagine, this is quite a big deal. This service allows users to sync and access movies and TV shows across a number of different platforms.
While there isn’t a reason stated on the support page, Movies Anywhere is a service that is owned by Disney. So, either the timing is suspiciously convenient or YouTube just isn’t looking to contribute to Disney services in any way. As stated before, it’s a bit of a shame when things like this happen because it’s the customers that really feel the impact.
9to5Google did confirm that any media that you linked previous to this change will remain as is, but any new media that you purchase from Google services will not sync. For the most part, this is going to be a waiting game, to see whether things will go back to normal once Google and Disney reach an agreement.
Naturally, there’s really no telling what’s going to happen, as these types of negotiations can be complicated. This is a problem that’s not unique to live-streaming but also affects traditional streaming services as well. In order to avoid content going away or having to pay more with a renewal, companies started to produce their own exclusive content.
We don’t know when and if this problem will be resolved, but if you’re affected, YouTube is compensating subscribers with a $10/month credit. The credit will be issued for up to six months, and although it should be applied automatically, you can always check to see if it’s credited to your account by heading to the Membership section.
If not, you will want to reach out to YouTube to see what can be done. There are reports that the credit isn’t for all users, but we think it’s still worth checking in with YouTube support to see if you qualify. With that said, we hope that YouTube and Disney can resolve this issue soon, and maybe we’ll even see Movies Anywhere support return too once the dust settles.
