YouTube TV and Disney have reached a new carriage agreement, bringing to an end a highly contentious blackout in which 14 Disney-owned networks disappeared from the streaming service. Subscribers again now have ABC, ESPN, FX, National Geographic, Disney Channel, and Freeform, and the rest of the portfolio, while recordings and profiles were preserved, so users can pick up right where they left off.
What Came Back to Your YouTube TV Channel Lineup
The agreement brings back national feeds and specialty networks like ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SEC Network, ACC Network, FX and FXX, National Geographic channels, as well as Disney-branded networks and their on-demand services. Local ABC stations are reactivating online as system updates become available, market by market, so some viewers may see their ABC affiliate return before others.
Live sports on ESPN are back on the YouTube TV schedule, which features Monday Night Football and NBA doubleheaders, through college basketball and the College Football Playoff. Entertainment standbys like Abbott Elementary on ABC and The Bear on FX also return, as does Nat Geo’s documentary lineup.
What’s in the New YouTube TV and Disney Deal
The companies say the pact is a multi-year deal aimed at adding stability after several weeks of on-again, off-again negotiations. Of note, YouTube TV says its subscribers will get access to ESPN’s coming “ESPN Unlimited” direct-to-consumer offering at no extra charge when it launches, integrated alongside the existing TV Everywhere authentication for Disney-owned apps.
The addition of ESPN Unlimited is a strategic sweetener to add to an existing vMVPD package that already comes with unlimited cloud DVR and multi-user profiles. It also sets up YouTube TV to retain sports-first households within its ecosystem even as leagues and networks dabble in streaming options a la carte.
Bill Credits and Your YouTube TV Account Details
To compensate for the outage, YouTube TV is offering a one-time $20 credit to affected users who are having problems logging in. Politico mentioned it has already gone as far as issuing staggered credits to accounts over two billing cycles that, in total, amount to $60. There’s still time to redeem the standard $20 credit; reference your account notifications or recent YouTube TV emails for the redemption period and process. The credits are applied to the base plan, which is still running around $72.99 a month, and doesn’t include add-ons.
Perhaps most importantly, recordings, watch histories, and recommendations have been preserved. If you had a recording scheduled that didn’t work during the blackout, you can re-add it to your DVR, and many episodes are now available on demand from the reinstated channels.
Why This Carriage Fight Matters for YouTube TV Viewers
Carriage disputes are becoming more common as programmers demand higher fees to pay for escalating sports and content costs, while distributors want to hold the line on monthly rates. Alphabet has announced that YouTube TV recently topped 8 million users, making the U.S.-based offering the largest live TV streaming bundle in the country. That scale results in even short-term disruption reverberating to millions of households and advertisers.
Industry analysts at S&P Global and Leichtman Research Group have reported continued losses among traditional pay TV, as well as growth from virtual MVPDs. The inflation of sports rights and the move toward direct-to-consumer streaming further complicate these negotiations. ESPN’s stand-alone service is a key part of that puzzle, and its addition to the YouTube TV lineup shows what a hybrid future might look like — one where “bundled” services play nice with direct apps instead of trying to trample them.
What Readers Can Do Now to Restore Channels and Access
Open the YouTube TV app and refresh your guide; if you don’t yet see your local ABC station, try again later as regional feeds are re-enabled over a period of time. Re-create your favorite teams and shows in the Library tab to start series recordings again. Sports enthusiasts can also sign in to ESPN apps using their YouTube TV credentials to check that access has been restored and plan for upcoming marquee sports content.
Bottom line: The channels are back, the recordings are safe; there’s a credit on the table, and YouTube TV is making promises of added benefit when ESPN’s direct-to-consumer product becomes available. For viewers who toughed it out — or fleetingly tuned away — this deal makes the live TV bundle a significant player once again when the next wave of major games and buzzy premieres hits.
