YouTube TV says failure to reach ‘fair deal’ with ESPN caused blackout

YouTube TV released a statement Thursday night saying it was unable to reach a “fair deal” with Disney.

Disney and Google failed to reach an agreement on a renewed distribution deal at midnight on Thursday, meaning that ABC and ESPN networks will no longer be available on YouTube TV. The dispute leaves college football fans wondering how they will be able to watch Week 10 in the SEC.

Here’s YouTube TV’s statement on the situation:

Members, when we renew our contracts with network partners, we advocate for fair pricing to offer you the best TV experience. 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. Despite our best efforts, we have not been able to reach a fair deal, and starting today, Disney programming will not be available on YouTube TV. This means you will no longer be able to watch channels like ABC and ESPN or access recordings from these networks in your Library. We know how disruptive it is to lose channels you enjoy, and we’re committed to continuing to work with Disney to reach an agreement. If their content is unavailable for an extended period of time, we’ll offer our members a $20 credit.

In its own statement, ESPN blamed Google for “refusing to pay fair rates” for its content and said the streaming service was attempting to “undercut the industry-standard terms” ESPN had negotiated with other distributors.

For YouTube TV subscribers who need an alternative, Sling TV offers day and weekend passes to test the service.

Luke Greco