By Michaela Gordoni
YouTube TV has a new comeback for Disney amid its carriage dispute, calling the company “aggressive” in its negotiations.
An unnamed YouTube exec also told Deadline that Disney has an “antiquated view” of pay-TV economics and is “not being reasonable to expect steep carriage fee increases,” Android Headlines reported Nov. 3.
“Members, when we renew our contracts with network partners, we advocate for fair pricing to offer you the best TV experience,” YouTube TV recently wrote on X. “Our contract with Disney has reached its renewal date, and we’ll not agree to terms that disadvantage our members while benefiting Disney’s TV products.”
Related: Fox Isn’t Going Dark: Network Reaches Agreement with YouTube TV
Disney insists that YouTube TV carry all of its channels and allegedly wants all of its partners to carry ESPN Unlimited and Disney+ in its carriage deals. That would make YouTube TV more expensive, so YouTube is reluctant to implement all channels.
“Unfortunately, Google’s YouTube TV has chosen to deny their subscribers the content they value the most by refusing to pay fair rates for our channels, including ESPN and ABC,” ESPN PR said. “Without a new agreement in place, their subscribers will not have access to our programming, which includes the best lineup in live sports — anchored by the NFL, NBA, and college football, with 13 of the top 25 college teams playing this weekend.”
It continued, “With a $3 trillion market cap, Google is using its market dominance to eliminate competition and undercut the industry-standard terms we’ve successfully negotiated with every other distributor. We know how frustrating this is for YouTube TV subscribers and remain committed to working toward a resolution as quickly as possible.”
The dispute is taking a while to resolve, which is to Disney’s advantage. As its channels, like ABC and ESPN, are currently suspended from YouTube TV, customers are finding other ways to watch their college football and other programs. Other popular options, like Hulu + Live TV and ESPN Unlimited are owned by Disney.
“We know this is a frustrating and disappointing outcome for our subscribers and we continue to urge Disney to work with us constructively to reach a fair agreement that restores their networks to YouTube TV,” YouTube TV said in a statement. “If their content remains off YouTube TV for an extended period of time, we’ll offer subscribers a $20 credit.”
YouTube TV is riding off of another recent dispute. Just before college football kicked off, it had a dispute with Fox that was quickly resolved, USA Today reported.
It’s unclear how long the dispute could take, but YouTube will likely want to get it resolved soon, due to Disney having the current advantage.
Read Next: Will YouTube TV Subscribers Lose Access to Paramount Content?
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