YouTube TV vs. Disney, Day 14: Is It Over? (Deal Today?, Jeopardy, Who’s to Blame?)
By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man – Follow me on X.
YouTube TV on Halloween (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.
So, it’s day 14 of the dispute. Thursday at 4:30 a.m. ET. Is the blackout over? Nope, not yet. But it seems we are getting close. Let’s go to the updates:
What’s the Deal With the Deal?
Andrew Marchand of The Athletic reported yesterday afternoon that there is “potential renewed momentum” for a deal that would bring ESPN back to YouTube TV. The article, coming from someone with Marchand’s standing (he’s one of the best in the biz), soon triggered some irrational exuberance among the YouTube TV faithful. However, Marchand was careful to note that there was still a significant sticking point: What YouTube TV should pay to carry the non-sports Disney channels such as FX, National Geographic and Freeform. But for YouTube TV subscribers, news of any positive development in the talks was enough to send them into a tizzy, and understandably why. It’s been a long two weeks, particularly for sports fans who are worried about losing a third weekend of college and NFL football on ESPN and ABC. Disney, which has required TV providers to carry its channels as a bundle, is scheduled to issue its new quarterly earnings report today and Marchand writes that is a ‘potential impetus’ for a new agreement. The Athletic reporter adds that Disney CEO Robert Iger and Google CEO Sundar Pichai have become more involved in the negotiations, a sign that they are getting more serious.
As of this morning, Disney still has its ‘Keep My Networks’ web site up and Google has not updated its blog. So unless the company execs struck an agreement a few hours ago, and their underlings were too sleepy to update their web sites, there’s no evidence there’s a deal. Not yet, folks. Maybe today. To learn more about Andrew Marchand’s report, click here.
Disney Breaks a Record, But Will It Break the Stalemate?
If an agreement is not in place, Disney today has set a record for its longest carriage blackout ever: 14 days. The previous company record was 13 days during last year’s DIRECTV carriage dispute. You might say one has nothing to do with the other. But companies tend to follow patterns in carriage fights, using similar tactics each time such as leaking memos to the media and when to get serious in negotiations. It would make sense if Disney and YouTube TV are heading for the finish line today.
YouTube TV: What the Puck!
Puck’s John Ourand wrote earlier this year that sources tell him that YouTube TV is seeking lower rates than rival TV providers such as Comcast, Spectrum TV and DIRECTV. The report, which some suggested made YouTube TV look, well, a bit arrogant, must have struck a nerve at Google headquarters. Why? A company official alerted Drew Lerner of Awful Announcing yesterday that it wants those lower rates when it passes its rivals in subscriber totals, not now when YouTube TV’s numbers are still below the three. The reduced fees would be phased in accordingly, the Google spokesperson said. Google, which is still relatively new to carriage disputes (at least compared to Disney) is learning that the PR war is nearly as important as the war at the negotiating table. To learn more, see the Awful Announcing story here.
YouTube TV Viewer Is In Serious Jeopardy
Everyone talks about the poor YouTube TV sports fans who are being inconvenienced by the loss of ESPN. And some people might note that there are viewers missing the high stepping on Dancing With the Stars (on ABC) as well. But what about the intellectuals who have had to survive without their daily dose of Jeopardy? (Airs on ABC.) Do they not bleed, too? Amanda Silberling of Tech Crunch writes: “When will this national nightmare end? When will I once again be able to criticize contestants’ mathematically illogical Daily Double wagers? When will I be reminded that I know literally nothing about opera? The ball’s in your court, Mr. Mouse.” The Tech Crunch says the blackout is ‘ruining’ her life. To read Amanda’s woeful tale, click here.
Are Sports Fans Blaming ESPN?
Viewers and journalists love to play the who-to-blame game in carriage disputes and it appears that ESPN is currently the big loser here, Sportico says. The sports network has suffered a number of PR black eyes in recent months, making it an easy target. “But multiple unscientific polls this time around found fans primarily blame ESPN,” Sportico’s Jacob Feldman writes. “Last week, sports media blog Awful Announcing declared: ‘The perception of ESPN is at an all-time low.” To learn more, see this Sportico story.
That’s it for now. Come back today for more updates on the YouTube TV-Disney blackout. And definitely come back early tomorrow morning for a new edition of ‘Is It Over,’ assuming the two sides have not settled by then.
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