Jump for joy! A deal has been reached.
Photo: Eric McCandless/Disney via Getty Images
YouTube TV and Disney Entertainment have resolved their carriage dispute, restoring access to ESPN, ABC, and other Disney-owned channels for subscribers. The agreement, announced late Friday, ends a blackout that began October 30th and disrupted live sports and entertainment programming for millions of viewers.
The dispute, one of the longest in recent streaming television history, centered on programming fees and distribution rights. The resolution comes as college football playoffs and the broader holiday television season approach, minimizing further disruption for YouTube TV’s user base. Disney Entertainment co-chairmen Alan Bergman and Dana Walden, along with ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro, confirmed the deal in a joint statement, expressing satisfaction at reaching an agreement “in time for fans to enjoy the many great programming options this weekend.”
Disney’s channels – including ABC, ESPN, Freeform, and FX – went dark on YouTube TV on October 30th. This outage surpassed the 11-day Charter Communications dispute in 2023 in length. Reports indicated the negotiations were particularly challenging, involving direct engagement from Disney CEO Bob Iger and Google CEO Sundar Pichai.
