YouTube TV vs. Disney, Day 6: Is It Over?
By Phillip Swann
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YouTube TV last Friday morning (October 31, 2025) lost all Disney-owned channels, including ESPN, the ABC affiliates and FX, due to a carriage dispute between the companies. Until there is a settlement, The TV Answer Man will post a daily notice here on whether the blackout has been lifted. I will publish the update in the early morning hours so when you wake up, you can check whether the two sides have settled. I encourage you to bookmark the site for easier reference.
I will also include the latest news related to the fight in the daily post so you can find out what Disney and YouTube TV executives and subscribers are saying and doing in response to the blackout.
So, it’s day six of the dispute. Wednesday at 4 a.m. ET. Is the dispute over? Nope. Let’s go to the updates:
Disney & YouTube TV Don’t Bash Each Other In Public On Tuesday – Good Sign?
After a busy Monday during which Disney urged YouTube TV to restore ABC for Election Day, only to have YouTube TV say get lost because it says few people watch ABC News anyway, the two companies stayed out of the public spotlight on Tuesday. Hopefully, that means they were too preoccupied in constructive negotiations to issue inflammatory statements to the media. But we’ll see as the week progresses.
What Is YouTube TV’s Definition of ‘Extended Period of Time?’
Before the blackout even began early Friday morning, YouTube TV said in a blog post that it would offer a $20 credit if the Disney dispute lasted an “extended period of time.” However, the streamer did not say what an extended period of time is. One week?Two weeks? A month? The confusion has YouTube TV subscribers climbing the walls – but, hopefully, not for an extended period of time.
Who’s to Blame? Disney or YouTube TV? – Sen. Elizabeth Warren Says Trump
YouTube TV subscribers have been debating whether Disney or YouTube TV is most at fault for causing the blackout. However, one U.S. senator says the answer is neither; the one to blame is President Trump. “You might not be able to watch Monday Night Football tonight,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) said in a post on X on Monday night. “Why? When companies get too big, they have the power to cut off your favorite channels. That’s what’s happening here. And what’s Trump done about it? He’s let them get away with it.” Warren did not specifically explain how President Trump could have prevented Disney and Google’s YouTube TV from engaging in a carriage battle, something that TV companies have done for years and in multiple presidential administrations. But she could have been alluding to the fact that FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has not intervened in the fight, something he did do when Fox was in a carriage scrap last August with YouTube TV. The FCC chief sided with Fox, urging Google to settle in a post on X. The two companies settled the dispute just a few days later. To learn more about Warren’s comment, and the response on X, click here.
ESPN’s Pat McAfee Blasts Fellow ESPN Personalities For Posting Dispute Videos
The TV Answer Man noted here earlier this week that several high-profile ESPN reporters and hosts have posted videos in support of their employer, Disney/ESPN. The videos rubbed some the wrong way for a variety of reasons, including the issue of whether journalists should take a public stand in the dispute. Outspoken ESPN commentator Pat McAfee agrees with those who have chided his colleagues for getting involved. The former NFL player yesterday on his show blasted his colleagues for posting the videos. “And also, if you’re on TV, stop telling people to go to a website to save a multi-billion-dollar deal. Nobody cares what you have to say. There will be nothing that we have to say or any website that will be visited. There are, I don’t want to say the exact names, but these people (hands up high), let’s put our swords down. Let’s put our swords down for the good of sports.” To learn more about McAfee’s outburst, click here for the Awful Announcing story.
The Fubo $9.99 a Month Sports Offer Remains a Mystery
Fubo, which is now 70 percent owned by Disney, has been sending e-mails to select consumers with an offer of $9.99 for its new slimmed-down $55.99 a month Sports Plan which includes ESPN. That sounds like what the doctor ordered for YouTube TV subscribers looking for a quick and cheap solution to the Disney debacle. However, it’s apparently impossible to get the $9.99 deal unless you are one of the lucky ones to get the e-mail. (I was one of those people.) I asked Fubo for the criteria to determine who received the offer, but a spokeswoman would not provide any further details except to say: “We sometimes offer special customer promos. Nothing further to share.” If you are interested, and did not get the e-mail, I encourage you to contact Fubo customer support and ask for it. Beyond that, I don’t know what to tell you.
That’s it for now. Come back today for more news on the dispute and be sure to wake up early on Thursday morning to catch our latest update.
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