YouTube TV, ESPN, and Disney
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The standoff between YouTube TV and Disney, which left ABC, ESPN and a slate of Disney-owned channels dark for millions of viewers, began at the end of October when the pair failed to agree on new carriage terms and the existing licensing pact expired.
For yet another weekend, YouTube TV subscribers were unable to watch college football on Disney-owned networks like ESPN and ABC as a result of a carriage dispute that has been ongoing since Oct. 30.
YouTube TV is embroiled in its blackout saga with ESPN, and it tried to calm viewers' outrage by offering a little reward for their patience.
During perhaps one of the best seasons for watching sports on television, ESPN channels were removed from the YouTube TV streaming platform. However, there are way subscribers can watch football and more sports this weekend with some help from other streaming services.
On the one hand, $20—which Google previously promised users if a previously unnamed amount of time, now revealed to be “about a week and change” had passed—isn’t that much, given that a monthly YouTube TV subscription currently runs users $82.
YouTube pulled more than 20 Disney-owned channels including ESPN and ABC right before Halloween after Google and Disney couldn't come to an agreement. At the time, YouTube TV claimed that it ""will not agree to terms that disadvantage our members while benefiting Disney’s own live TV products."
According to a new survey from Drive Research (via Variety ), YouTube TV subscribers aren't happy. In response to the standoff, 24% of respondents said they had already cancelled their subscription or were planning to do so. That's according to around 1,100 consumers who responded to the survey.