Disney networks go dark on YouTube TV after failed talks

Disney's networks went dark on Google's pay-TV platform YouTube TV after negotiations to reach a licensing deal failed, the companies said in separate statements late on Thursday.

The affected Disney networks include ESPN, ABC, FX, Nat Geo, Nat Geo Wild, Disney Channel, ABC News Live and others.

A source told Reuters that Disney's channels were removed from YouTube ahead of the contract lapsing. YouTube TV issued its statement on X at 11:16 pm ET on Thursday, while the deal was originally set to expire only at midnight.

YouTube TV, one of the largest pay-TV distributors in the US, has been locked in a series of negotiations this year with firms threatening to pull their media networks from the platform.

Earlier this month, the company, after a difficult negotiation period, struck a deal with Comcast-owned CMCSA.O NBCUniversal to keep NBC shows such as Sunday Night Football and America's Got Talent on YouTube TV. The platform also struck similar deals with Fox and Paramount earlier this year after difficult contract negotiations.

YouTube TV, which has over 10 million subscribers, said Disney's proposed offer terms would raise prices for its subscribers and benefit Disney's own live TV services such as Hulu + Live TV, while Disney accused YouTube of being unwilling to pay fair rates.

"Our contract with Disney has reached its renewal date, and we'll not agree to terms that disadvantage our members while benefiting Disney's TV products," YouTube TV said in a post on social media platform X.

A Disney spokesperson said the company was committed to working toward a resolution as quickly as possible.

"With a $3 trillion market cap, Google is using its market dominance to eliminate competition and undercut the industry-standard terms we've successfully negotiated with every other distributor," the spokesperson said in a statement.

YouTube TV will offer its subscribers a $20 credit if the Disney networks remain unavailable on the platform for an extended period of time.

The pay-TV platform had dropped Spanish-language network Univision last month after a failed contract deal.