Disney channels still missing on YouTube TV as contract dispute continues for over a week

November 9 is the 10th day of the largest channel blackout in streaming history. At 11:59 pm ET on October 30, the previous Disney and YouTube TV contract expired. Just seconds afterwards, 21 channels disappeared from the screens of over 10 million subscribers.

ESPN. ABC. ACC Network. SEC Network. Every local ABC station. Gone. No warning screen or placeholder. Just black tiles and a message: “This channel is no longer available”. 

College football fans missed two full Saturdays. Monday Night Football on November 3 lost an estimated 22% of its usual YouTube TV audience.

Cloud DVR recordings from every Disney channel are auto deleted overnight.

The dispute is over per-subscriber carriage fees and bundling rules. Disney wants higher rates than Charter Spectrum and DirecTV pay plus guarantees that YouTube TV cannot undercut the upcoming 2026 direct-to-consumer ESPN app.

Google refuses to pay more than market peers and demands equal treatment with Hulu + Live TV.

On Friday November 7 Disney Entertainment co-chairs Dana Walden and Alan Bergman plus ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro sent a company wide memo obtained by The Athletic. It said-

“When will ESPN and ABC be back on the service? We wish we could give you that answer today, but unfortunately, we are headed into another sports-packed weekend without a deal in place,” 

They also added-

“We began these negotiations by offering YouTube TV a deal that would cost less overall than the terms of our recently expired license. That’s real savings that YouTube TV could pass along to its customers.”

They offered

bespoke programming packages—tailored to sports fans, entertainment fans, kids and families—that would provide tremendous flexibility for YouTube TV and greater choice and value for its customers.

Yet,

YouTube TV continues to insist on receiving preferential terms that are below market and has made few concessions. 

Youtube TV posted via X saying-

Despite our best efforts, we have not been able to reach a fair deal, and starting today, Disney programming will not be available on YouTube TV. This means you will no longer be able to watch channels like ABC and ESPN or access recordings from these networks in your Library.

YouTube TV starts emailing $20 one-time credits today to every active subscriber if channels stay dark through Sunday night.

A deal could restore everything in minutes. No agreement exists as of yet.

Is ABC on YouTube TV?

No. ABC is completely gone along with every Disney-owned channel. The blackout erased all local ABC stations plus every national feed.

Full list of missing channels:

• ABC
• ABC News Live
• ACC Network
• Disney Channel
• Disney Junior
• Disney XD
• ESPN
• ESPN2
• ESPNews
• ESPNU
• Freeform
• FX
• FXM
• FXX
• Localish
• Nat Geo
• Nat Geo Wild
• SEC Network
• ESPN Deportes
• Baby TV Español
• Nat Geo Mundo

A spokesperson for YouTube TV responded by saying-

“Once again, Disney is resorting to their old tactics like leaking documents to the press, negotiating in public through their paid talent and misrepresenting the facts including from the deals they’ve offered and taking credit for our product proposals. Our team stands ready to make a fair agreement in line with their deals with other distributors and we encourage Disney to come to the table and do what’s best for our mutual customers,”

Disney asked to restore ABC for Election Day on  November 4. YouTube TV refused citing low past election viewership and risk of customer confusion.

Google countered with an offer to bring back only ABC and ESPN during negotiations. Disney rejected it, demanding the entire bundle.

An independent survey claims 24% of subscribers have cancelled or plan to cancel. Another 82% say they will leave if no fix soon. YouTube TV calls those numbers inaccurate and inflated.

Where to watch Disney channels right now:

• DirecTV Stream: 5-day free trial. All channels. $49.99 first month.
• Sling TV Orange: $4.99 day pass for ESPN.
• Hulu + Live TV: $89.99/month full lineup.
• Fubo: 7-day trial with regional sports.
• Free: antenna for ABC or ESPN app with any login.

Stay tuned for more such updates!