Disney and YouTube TV have reached a new deal over carriage fees, ending a bitter contract dispute. The deal also ends a two-week blackout for YouTube TV subscribers, who were without Disney networks such as ESPN and ABC.
The new Disney-YouTube TV deal is a massive win for subscribers. However, the new terms of the agreement may also result in several changes to the pay TV platform.
Below is a deeper look at the Disney and YouTube TV contract dispute, the new licensing terms, and what the new deal means for YouTube TV customers.
New distribution deal reached, all Disney Networks restored
In separate statements, both Disney and YouTube TV announced that they had reached a new distribution deal, ending a several-week-long stalemate.
“The Walt Disney Company announced a multi-year distribution agreement with YouTube TV that delivers Disney’s marquee sports, news and entertainment programming – along with greater choice and value for their customers,” Disney said in a statement.
YouTube also confirmed the new deal in a statement shared on the YouTube blog:
“We’re happy to share that we’ve reached an agreement with Disney that preserves the value of our service for our subscribers and future flexibility in our offers.”
In statements announcing the new distribution agreement, both companies said the missing content would begin returning to the YouTube TV platform.
“Subscribers should see channels including ABC, ESPN, and FX returning to their service over the course of the day,” YouTube TV shared in a statement on X.
Disney content had been missing from YouTube TV since October 30
The contract dispute between the two media giants became public on October 23, 2025, when Disney warned that YouTube TV subscribers could lose access to its content.
A week later, on October 30, 2025, Disney’s content disappeared from Google’s pay-TV platform.
In a post shared on X, YouTube TV revealed that the content blackout was a result of both companies failing to reach a new licensing agreement.
“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.”
The blackout resulted in the loss of all of Disney’s live TV networks, including ESPN channels, ABC, Disney Channel, ABC News Live, Nat Geo Wild, FX, Freeform, ACC Network, and more.
In addition to the live networks, subscribers also lost access to DVR recordings of Disney content following the blackout.
The two media giants were engaged in a contentious, public contract dispute
Contract disputes between content distributors and pay-TV services or streaming platforms are common. However, the Disney and YouTube TV dispute attracted a lot of attention because of the public, contentious way the saga played out.
For weeks, both media giants have traded barbs in public, each party accusing the other of negotiating in bad faith.
The key issue of contention in the contract dispute has been carriage fees, with YouTube TV accusing Disney of offering costly terms:
“Disney is proposing costly economic terms that would raise prices on YouTube TV customers and give our customers fewer choices, while benefiting Disney’s own live TV products – like Hulu + Live TV and, soon, Fubo.”
Disney, on the other hand, has accused the Google Pay TV platform of refusing to pay fair rates for its content and demanding a deal that ignores market rates and industry standards.
“Google’s YouTube TV has chosen to deny their subscribers the content they value most by refusing to pay fair rates for our channels, including ESPN and ABC.”
Both companies also publicly blamed each other for using unfair tactics during the negotiations.
“Last week, Disney used the threat of a blackout on YouTube TV as a negotiating tactic to force deal terms that would raise prices on our customers. They’re now following through on that threat,” claimed YouTube following the October 30 Disney blackout.
Disney, on its part, accused Google’s Pay TV platform of using its market dominance to try to strong-arm a deal:
“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.”
YouTube TV and Disney incurred tremendous financial losses
During the two-week blackout period, the two media companies incurred substantial financial losses.
According to Morgan Stanley, Disney lost $30 million per week during the blackout period, resulting in an estimated $60 million in losses. Additionally, the company’s stock price plummeted by more than 9% during this period.
YouTube TV, on the other hand, experienced an increase in subscriber churn, with a survey reportedly finding that 24% of respondents had cancelled or planned to cancel their subscription to the pay-TV platform.
Besides losing subscribers, YouTube TV also offered subscribers a $20 credit for the inconvenience caused by the blackout. Some subscribers were reportedly also offered a $10 credit for 6 months as compensation for the Disney blackout saga.
Disney and YouTube TV deal comes with several perks
The new YouTube TV distribution deal offers several perks, the top one being the introduction of ESPN Unlimited. By the end of 2026, YouTube TV subscribers will be able to access the streaming service at no extra cost.
ESPN Unlimited is a massive win for subscribers, as they will now have access to ESPN+ content and WWE Premium live events.
Additionally, Disney has also revealed additional perks in the new distribution deal, which include:
- Access to select live and on-demand ESPN unlimited content inside YouTube TV.
- Select Disney networks to be offered in various YouTube TV genre-specific packages.
- YouTube TV’s ability to include the Disney+ and Hulu Bundle as part of its offerings.
Unfortunately, the new deal with Disney will not offer access to MLB.tv.
Starting from 2026, the baseball streaming platform will be housed within the ESPN App. However, despite the new deal giving YouTube TV subscribers access to ESPN Unlimited, MLB.tv is reportedly not included.
A potential price hike is looming for YouTube TV
The new distribution agreement between Disney and YouTube TV is something to celebrate for many YouTube TV subscribers. However, it is likely to lead to several changes in the future, particularly in pricing.
Neither media company revealed the financial details of the distribution agreement, but it is likely to include higher carriage fees than YouTube TV was paying before. These fees are likely to be passed on to the subscribers.
The new deal also comes with more content from Disney Network. Additionally, YouTube TV has also announced the launch of a new sports channel, the NBC Sports Network.
Unfortunately for subscribers, more content means more carriage fees and, consequently, higher subscription prices. Therefore, it is likely that YouTube TV will raise its prices soon.
Nonetheless, YouTube TV subscribers could also benefit from lower prices if the pay-TV platform introduces skinny bundles.
Other services like FuboTV, DirecTV, Sling TV, and Comcast Xfinity offer skinny bundles that are more affordable, and YouTube TV could follow suit to stay competitive.