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On October 31st, ESPN, ABC, Nat Geo, and over 20 other Disney-owned channels went dark on YouTube TV. As the two sides disagree about terms for a new content distribution contract, 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.
Meanwhile, Disney claims that Google is being unreasonable and seeking preferential treatment and below-market rates, and streamed College GameDay for free during the dispute. It’s quite different from their 2021 carriage blackout, which was resolved within a couple of days.
The two don’t seem any closer to an agreement at this point, as the war of words continues, and now Google is even giving YouTube TV customers a $20 credit for the inconvenience.
Read on below for all of the news and updates about Google and Disney’s ongoing battle.
Google is issuing a $20 credit to YouTube TV subscribers.
Now that the Disney blackout has dragged on for an “extended period of time,” Google will begin handing out the promised credits today. Customers should get an email explaining how to apply the one-time credit to their next bill. But, $20 probably won’t satisfy disgruntled customers who just want to watch SportsCenter.
Films from YouTube and Google Play are no longer available on Movies Anywhere
Image: Alex Castro / The Verge
If you logged into your Movies Anywhere account in the past few days, you might have noticed some titles missing from your library, specifically content purchased on Google Play and YouTube. As of October 31st, movies from either platform are no longer available on Movies Anywhere.
The change was announced on a brief help page on Movies Anywhere, which simply states: “Effective 10/31/25, Google Play/YouTube will no longer participate in the Movies Anywhere program.” There are no further details about the reasoning behind the break-up. It appears that movies that were already synced to Movies Anywhere from a Google account are still accessible, but new purchases can’t be added to the platform.
No Monday Night Football, no Election Night ABC News for YouTube TV.
There are plenty of other options for customers - election news information is very widely available across other broadcast stations and news networks on YouTube TV, as well as on the main YouTube service, for free. In fact, on the last two U.S. election days, the vast majority of tuned in YouTube TV subscribers chose not to watch ABC.
ESPN, ABC, and other Disney channels go dark on YouTube TV
Image: Alex Castro / The Verge
More than 20 Disney-owned channels, including ESPN, ABC, and Nat Geo, have been pulled from YouTube TV after Google and Disney failed to reach a new content distribution agreement. The previous contract expired at 11:59 PM ET on October 30th, and it’s unclear when, or if, the two companies will reach a new deal.
The blackout was prompted by disagreements over carriage fees, with Google saying in a blog post published last week that Disney was “proposing costly economic terms that would raise prices on YouTube TV customers.” That same post was updated at 11:15PM on Thursday, claiming that Disney had followed through on threats to pull its channels from YouTube TV, which Google described as a “negotiating tactic.”
Disney is suing YouTube for poaching a key media and sports executive
Getty Images for The Wict Networ
As YouTube prepares to air an exclusive NFL opening week game for free on September 5th, it’s hiring former Disney exec Justin Connolly. The move has caused Disney to respond by suing both YouTube and Connolly, saying he was in the middle of leading the team negotiating Disney’s license renewal with YouTube.
He’d most recently been running the streaming services and linear media networks at Disney, and will take over as YouTube’s new global head of media and sports, as first reported by Bloomberg. After spending more than 20 years at Disney and ESPN, he’ll be managing YouTube’s relationship with the media companies that distribute content on YouTube TV, as well as leading its live sports coverage.
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