YouTube Could Soon Remove 18 Disney-Owned Streaming Channels From TV Platform
Image ID 172518624 © via Monticelllo | Dreamstime.com
Just after it resolved a rather lengthy dispute with Roku, YouTube has now warned streaming subscribers that they could potentially lose access to all Disney-owned channels by the end of the week.
The platform’s distribution agreement with Disney ends this week, with the two parties still yet to shake hands on a new deal. If a contract isn’t signed by Friday, December 17, subscribers will no longer be able to tune in to live streaming and on-demand content from 18 channels owned by the conglomerate.
Affected channels will include local ABC stations, ABC News Live, The Disney Channel, Disney Junior, Disney XD, FX, Freeform, FXX, FXM, National Geographic, National Geographic Wild, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPNU, ESPNews, SEC Network, and ACC Network.
At the moment, should the deal not pull through, YouTube said it will lower the monthly price of the streaming service for the time being. Instead of having to fork out US$64.99 per month, users will receive a US$15 price drop to US$49.99 instead, for as long as the Disney channels remain unavailable.
It remains to be seen if subscribers will be willing to continue paying for YouTube TV when a large portion of its lineup, including popular sports channels, are unaccessible. According to TechCrunch, the platform said that customers will be allowed to pause or cancel the service if they wish to do so.
“Disney is an important partner for us and we’re in active conversations with them and working hard to keep their content on YouTube TV,” read a YouTube blog post.
“Our ask to Disney, as with all our partners, is to treat YouTube TV like any other TV provider—by offering us the same rates that services of a similar size pay, across Disney’s channels for as long as we carry them.”
YouTube told TechCrunch that it is “optimistic” it will be able to reach a deal with Disney, so that customers can enjoy “live sporting events and news coverage plus kids, family, and general entertainment programming.”
[via TechCrunch, cover image via Monticelllo | Dreamstime.com]
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