Disney vs. YouTube TV, Day 7: 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 seven of the dispute. Thursday at 4:30 a.m. ET. Is the dispute over? Of course not. Let’s go to the updates:
YouTube’s X Team Is Repeating Itself, Is Repeating Itself, Is Repeating Itself…
Both companies yesterday again refrained from issuing inflammatory statements designed to make the other side look sub-human. That’s good news for YouTube TV subscribers looking for a settlement sooner than later. When companies start to cool it in public, it often means they are actually engaging in constructive discussions. The bad news for YTTV customers is the robotic response they continue to get from YouTube’s customer support team on the social media site, X. Whenever someone asks YouTube X team when the dispute will end, they get this:
And when they ask for YouTube TV to lower the prices because of the blackout, they get this:
I understated that the customer support team is told not to deviate from the script but it would be nice to feel like a human being is listening to your complaint. And, please, can someone at Google headquarters tell us what ‘extended period of time’ means?!
Sinclair CEO Ripley Rips Disney a New One
Sinclair CEO Chris Ripley, whose company owns ABC affiliates blacked out in the carriage scrap, suggested yesterday that Disney is violating anti-trust laws by not allowing them to air on YouTube TV. He told financial analysts in a conference call that he has spoken to federal regulators about his concerns and that the FCC has opened an investigation into the matter. “Disney/ABC and other networks should not be able to dictate to us whether we can or cannot distribute content to YouTube TV or even Hulu and Fubo, which, coincidentally are now also owned by Disney,” Ripley said. “Particularly concerning is that consumers are now being forced to buy more streaming services from one of the parties in the dispute to get the content that they literally already paid for.” Since Sinclair leans to the right, his words will likely be received by receptive ears in the Trump administration. But it’s unclear if any action will come before the dispute is settled anyway. To learn more, see this Hollywood Reporter article here.
McAfee Punts On Earlier Attack On ESPN Personalities
Former NFL punter Pat McAfee wants everyone to know that he wasn’t trying to kick his ESPN colleagues to the curb this week when he criticized them for posting social media statements urging YouTube TV customers to support Disney’s position in the carriage fight. ESPN personalities Stephen A. Smith, Holly Rowe, and Scott Val Pelt are among the on-air talent that have ‘written’ the posts. However, McAfee yesterday on his ESPN show clarified that he was actually criticizing network management for its role in the posts. “Once again, not the boys’ fault that are doing it,” McAfee told guest J.J. Watt, the former NFL player who has also been critical of the blackout. “That should’ve never been an idea.” To learn more, see this Awful Announcing article.
Why YouTube TV MUST Settle Eventually
I have received a few e-mails from readers saying that YouTube TV will never make a deal with Disney because the streamer is content with not carrying the Disney channels forever if necessary to make a point. (I’ve also seen this sentiment expressed in social media posts.) But for those saying the Disney channels will never come back, you’re ignoring Google’s mission for YouTube TV and the streamer’s history. Google paid a small fortune to get the rights to the Sunday Ticket. The strategy was to use the Ticket to build a subscriber dominance in the live streaming category. It worked. The Ticket has enabled YouTube TV to get around 10 million subs, about twice as many as its nearest rival. But if you don’t have ESPN and ABC long-term, those numbers will melt like an ice cube, making the Ticket investment a folly. That’s why they will settle – must settle – at some point. Guaranteed. There’s also evidence that Disney/ESPN is being hurt by the blackout, as evidenced in the X post below:
This is why I believe a settlement is sooner than later.
Disney-Owned Hulu Live Extends $75 Discount Offer
Okay, I don’t think Disney is purposely keeping its channels from YouTube TV just to force the streamer’s subs to switch to the new $29.99 a month ESPN app or the Disney-owned Hulu Live or Fubo streaming rivals. But…that doesn’t mean Disney is above using the situation to get a few extra dollars. Disney yesterday extended the deadline for a three-month discount offer on Hulu Live. You can now get Hulu Live for $64.99 a month for the first three months until November 18, 2025; the promo’s deadline was set to expire yesterday. So, Disney is saying, if you just happen to be looking for a new streaming service, we got your back. (And your money.) To learn more, see our article here.
That’s it for now. Come back today for more news on the dispute and be sure to wake up early on Friday morning to catch our latest ‘Is It Over?’ update.
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