YouTube TV and Disney End Two-Week Channel Blackout With New Carriage Deal

TLDR

• Google’s YouTube TV and Disney reached a multi-year deal on November 14, 2025, ending a two-week blackout that started October 31
• More than 20 Disney channels including ESPN, ABC, FX, and Disney Channel were restored to YouTube TV subscribers
• YouTube TV gave subscribers $20 credits during the dispute, which centered on carriage fees Disney charges for its networks
• The new deal includes ESPN Unlimited access for YouTube TV base subscribers at no extra cost by end of 2026, featuring WWE premium events
• YouTube TV now has the option to offer Disney networks in genre-specific tiers and bundle Disney+ and Hulu streaming services

Google’s YouTube TV and Disney announced a multi-year carriage agreement on Friday, November 14, 2025. The deal ended a two-week standoff that left millions of subscribers without access to popular channels.

The blackout began at midnight on October 31, 2025. More than 20 Disney-owned channels went dark on the streaming service.

Subscribers lost access to ESPN, ABC, FX, National Geographic, Disney Channel, and Freeform. The timing affected viewers who wanted to watch live sporting events during the outage.

College football fans missed several games during the blackout. ESPN holds exclusive broadcasting rights for the SEC conference.

Two Monday Night Football games were also unavailable during the dispute. The Packers-Eagles game earlier in the week was among the blocked content.

The main issue between the two companies involved carriage fees. Disney charges YouTube TV for the right to carry its networks.

ESPN is Disney’s most valuable channel. The sports network charges more than $10 per month per pay-TV subscriber, according to CNBC.

This rate is higher than any other network in the United States. The fee structure became the central point of disagreement.

Ten days into the standoff, YouTube TV issued $20 credits to affected subscribers. The company apologized for the service disruption.

Deal Terms and New Features

The new agreement includes access to ESPN Unlimited for YouTube TV subscribers. This service will be available at no additional cost by the end of 2026.

ESPN Unlimited gives viewers access to all WWE premium live events. These include WrestleMania and the Royal Rumble.

The deal mirrors an agreement Disney reached with Charter’s Spectrum cable operator. Both agreements include the ESPN Unlimited package.

YouTube TV gained new flexibility in how it can package Disney content. The service can now offer networks in genre-specific tiers.

Subscribers will also have the option to bundle Disney+ and Hulu streaming services. This gives viewers more choices in how they access content.

Previous Disputes and Resolutions

This was not YouTube TV’s first carriage dispute in 2025. The service nearly lost NBCUniversal content before reaching an agreement in October.

That deal prevented shows like Sunday Night Football and America’s Got Talent from being pulled. The agreement was reached just before the content was set to go dark.

YouTube TV also faced a standoff with Fox in August 2025. The dispute almost resulted in Fox News and Fox Sports going dark.

The Fox agreement was reached before the start of college football season. Both sides struck a deal to prevent a blackout.

Disney Entertainment co-chairs Alan Bergman and Dana Walden released a joint statement with ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro. They said the agreement reflects how audiences choose to watch entertainment.

YouTube said channels would return to the service throughout the day on November 14. Previously recorded content in users’ libraries would also be restored.

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