YouTube TV, ESPN, and Disney: the latest on the blackout that’s now over

Disney and YouTube have reached an agreement to bring back ESPN and over 20 other Disney-owned channels on YouTube TV, ending a two-week blackout.
Google had accused Disney of trying to raise prices for its customers to boost its own Hulu + Live TV and Fubo offerings, while Disney claimed Google was being unreasonable and seeking preferential treatment.
As part of the dispute, Google gave YouTube TV customers a $20 credit for the inconvenience, and CEOs Bob Iger and Sundar Pichai reportedly got more involved in the negotiations.
The situation was resolved much faster than the 2021 carriage blackout between the two companies, which took only a couple of days to resolve.
Disney is losing over $4 million a day in revenue due to the YouTube TV blackout, and the dispute has also led to other consequences, such as Films from YouTube and Google Play no longer being available on Movies Anywhere.

Disney and YouTube have reached an agreement to bring back ESPN and more than 20 other Disney-owned channels two weeks after they went dark on YouTube TV.

During the dispute, Google has accused Disney of trying to raise prices for its customers in an effort to boost its own Hulu + Live TV and Fubo offerings, while Disney claimed that Google was being unreasonable and seeking preferential treatment and below-market rates.

Google even gave YouTube TV customers a $20 credit for the inconvenience while the dispute was going on. And days before the deal was done, CEOs Bob Iger and Sundar Pichai reportedly got more involved in the negotiations. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr also urged the companies to “get it done!”

The situation was quite different from the 2021 carriage blackout between the two companies, which was resolved within a couple of days.

Read on below for all of our news and updates about Google and Disney’s battle.

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Q. What happened between Disney and YouTube TV?

A. Disney-owned channels, including ESPN, went dark on YouTube TV due to a dispute over pricing.

Q. Why did Google accuse Disney of trying to raise prices for its customers?

A. Google accused Disney of trying to boost its own Hulu + Live TV and Fubo offerings by raising prices for Disney’s channels on YouTube TV.

Q. What was the outcome of the dispute between Disney and YouTube TV?

A. Disney and YouTube have reached an agreement, bringing back ESPN and over 20 other Disney-owned channels two weeks after they went dark.

Q. How much did Google give to YouTube TV customers as a gesture of goodwill during the dispute?

A. Google gave YouTube TV customers a $20 credit for the inconvenience caused by the blackout.

Q. Who got involved in the negotiations between Disney and YouTube TV?

A. CEOs Bob Iger and Sundar Pichai reportedly joined the negotiations, with FCC Chairman Brendan Carr also urging the companies to resolve the issue.

Q. How quickly was the 2021 carriage blackout between Google and Disney resolved compared to this latest dispute?

A. The 2021 dispute was resolved within a couple of days, whereas this latest dispute took two weeks to resolve.

Q. What revenue loss did Disney suffer due to the YouTube TV blackout?

A. Disney is losing over $4 million a day in revenue on the YouTube TV blackout.

Q. How did Bob Iger’s appearance on the ManningCast relate to the dispute between Disney and YouTube TV?

A. Bob Iger appeared on the ManningCast, which airs on ESPN2, indicating that he was actively involved in the negotiations with YouTube TV.

Q. What other consequence of the dispute was reported?

A. Films from YouTube and Google Play are no longer available on Movies Anywhere due to the dispute.