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👋 Disney has pulled its TV services from the paid YouTube TV service
📈 YouTube has announced that Disney had followed through on a threat to “force deal terms that would raise prices on our customers”
💰 Disney has accused Google of leaving them short-changed against the rates that other pay-TV providers pay for its content
🤔 This previously happened in 2021, although service was restored the following day
Disney has pulled its channels from YouTube’s TV service after the two companies couldn’t reach an agreement by a previously imposed October 30 deadline.
This means that ESPN, local ABC stations, ABC News, FX, NatGeo, the Disney Channel and Freeform are no longer accessible to viewers using YouTube TV.
In a statement posted to YouTube’s blog, the service stated that “Last week Disney used the threat of a blackout on YouTube TV as a negotiating tactic to force deal terms that would raise prices on our customers.” They have now followed through on the threat, according to YouTube.
The post notes that Disney’s decision was designed to benefit its own live TV offerings, such as Fubo and Hulu+Live, while harming YouTube’s live TV service.
In a statement sent to the Los Angeles Times, Disney hit back at YouTube, arguing that Google’s video service was choosing to “deny subscribers the content they value most by refusing to pay fair rates for [its] channels, including ESPN and ABC.”
Disney also accused Google of using its dominance in the market to “eliminate competition and undercut the industry-standard terms” that other pay-TV services agreed to for Disney’s content.
This isn’t the first time that the two media streaming giants have feuded. Back in 2021, YouTube TV lost access to Disney channels, although they were restored the next day.
If Disney’s channels remain offline for an extended period, Google has said it will offer YouTube TV subscribers a $20 credit.
Both firms have independently been busy revamping their offerings, with Disney discontinuing Hulu and YouTube giving more power to creators to hone in on the TV viewership.
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Reece Bithrey is a journalist with bylines for Trusted Reviews, Digital Foundry, PC Gamer, TechRadar and more. He also has his own blog, UNTITLED, and graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in International History and Politics in 2023.
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