Another carriage fight is brewing in streaming. Disney just warned its networks - including ESPN and ABC - could disappear from YouTube TV next week if the companies can't strike a new deal by October 30. The potential blackout would hit 10 million subscribers right in the middle of NFL season and the start of NBA coverage.
Disney isn't bluffing this time. The media giant started running warning messages to YouTube TV subscribers Thursday at 5 p.m. ET, alerting them that ESPN, ABC, and other Disney-owned networks will vanish from the platform if negotiations collapse by October 30 at 11:59 p.m.
The timing couldn't be worse for sports fans. We're talking about losing NFL games, college football, NBA season openers, and NHL coverage right when viewership peaks. "If we don't reach a fair deal soon, YouTube TV customers will lose access to ESPN and ABC, and all our marquee programming," a Disney spokesperson said in a statement that pulled no punches about Google's negotiating tactics.
This feels like déjà vu all over again. Just last month, YouTube TV went through the exact same drama with NBCUniversal, threatening to drop networks before reaching a temporary extension and eventually inking a deal. But this Disney dispute has deeper roots and messier politics.
Here's what's really happening behind closed doors. YouTube TV wants better rates for Disney's programming - which makes sense given they've grown to 10 million subscribers and have more leverage than smaller platforms. But they're also pushing for something Disney absolutely won't give: the ability to integrate Disney's streaming content directly into the YouTube platform.
According to people familiar with the negotiations, YouTube TV wants subscribers to access Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ without ever leaving YouTube's ecosystem. It's the same request they made during NBCUniversal talks, and got shot down there too. Disney's response? Not happening.
"Unfortunately, Disney is proposing costly economic terms that would raise prices on YouTube TV customers and give our customers fewer choices, while benefiting Disney's own live TV products," YouTube TV fired back in their own statement. They're specifically calling out Disney's Hulu + Live TV service and the upcoming Fubo acquisition as competitive conflicts.
The personal drama adds another layer. YouTube hired former Disney distribution executive Justin Connolly earlier this year, which prompted Disney to file a breach of contract lawsuit. Connolly has recused himself from these negotiations, but the bad blood is obvious.
