Amid ongoing carriage fee disputes between The Walt Disney Company and YouTube TV, Disney is warning that several of its networks could go dark. The current agreement between the two companies ends at midnight ET on October 30th. If an agreement isn’t reached before then, ABC local stations, ESPN, FX, and other networks would go dark on YouTube TV. This could potentially impact millions of viewers.
This isn’t the first time a scenario like this has materialized recently with YouTube TV. With an estimated 10 million subscribers, the company has been exerting the leverage it feels it has with these viewers. In 2025, YouTube TV was in similar disputes with NBCUniversal, Fox Corp., Paramount, and TelevisaUnivision. While resolutions were made for the first three, respectively, TelevisaUnivision is currently in its third week of being blacked out on YouTube TV.
“For the fourth time in three months, Google’s YouTube TV is putting their subscribers at risk of losing the most valuable networks they signed up for,” a Disney spokesperson said in a statement. “This is the latest example of Google exploiting its position at the expense of their own customers. We invest significantly in our content and expect our partners to pay fair rates that recognize that value. If we don’t reach a fair deal soon, YouTube TV customers will lose access to ESPN and ABC, and all our marquee programming – including the NFL, college football, NBA and NHL seasons – and so much more.”
A YouTube TV spokesperson countered and said the company has been “working in good faith to negotiate a deal with Disney that pays them fairly for their content on YouTube TV. 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 – like Hulu + Live TV and, soon, Fubo. Without an agreement, we’ll have to remove Disney’s content from YouTube TV and if it remains unavailable for an extended period of time, we will offer subscribers a $20 credit.”
The situation is made more difficult as the industry sees a continued transition from linear television to streaming. This is complicated with Disney in particular, which has leaned into streaming with programming on Disney+/Hulu and ESPN. How these streaming services are promoted within Google and on YouTube, along with how YouTube TV viewers could access ESPN content with an authenticated subscription, are among the issues being discussed. At the end of the day, for both companies, there isn’t just an issue about content but also one about where people go to consume said content.
At this point, there doesn’t seem to be a resolution happening immediately. It is possible that there will be a last-minute agreement, or an extension like NBC Universal had with YouTube TV before ultimately working out a deal. Daps Magic will continue to monitor this story and provide updates as they become available.
