Disney reaches new deal with YouTube TV, ending dayslong blackout for customers
(ASSOCIATED PRESS) – Disney and YouTube TV reached a new deal to bring channels like ABC and ESPN back to the Google-owned live streaming platform Friday, ending a blackout for customers that dragged on for about two weeks, Associated Press says.
“As part of the new deal, Disney’s full suite of networks and stations – including ESPN and ABC – have already begun to be restored to YouTube TV subscribers,” The Walt Disney Co. said in a statement.
“We are pleased that our networks have been restored in time for fans to enjoy the many great programming options this weekend, including college football.”
Disney content had gone dark on YouTube TV the night of Oct. 30, after two sides failed to reach a new licensing deal. In the days that followed, YouTube TV subscribers were left without Disney channels on the platform — notably disrupting coverage of top U.S. college football matchups and professional sports games, among other news and entertainment offerings.
Beyond ESPN and ABC, other Disney-owned content removed from YouTube TV during the impasse included channels like NatGeo, FX, Freeform, SEC Network, ACC Network and more.
At the time the carriage dispute reached its boiling point, YouTube TV said that Disney was proposing terms that would be too costly, resulting in higher prices and fewer choices for its subscribers. And the platform accused Disney of using the blackout “as a negotiating tactic” — claiming that the move also benefited Disney’s own streaming products like Hulu + Live TV and Fubo.
Disney, meanwhile, said that YouTube TV had refused to pay fair rates for its channels. The California entertainment giant also accused Google of “using its market dominance to eliminate competition.” And executives blasted the platform for pulling content “prior to the midnight expiration” of their deal last month.
On Nov. 3, Disney also asked YouTube TV to restore ABC programming for Election Day on Nov. 4 to put “the public interest first.” But YouTube TV said this temporary reprieve would confuse customers — and instead proposed that the entertainment giant agree to restore both its ABC and ESPN channels while the two sides continue negotiations.
The blackout marked the latest in growing list of licensing disputes in today’s streaming world. And consumers often pay the price.
From sports events to awards shows, live programming that was once reserved for broadcast has increasingly made its way into the streaming world over the years as more and more consumers ditch traditional cable or satellite TV subscriptions for content they can get online. But amid growing competition, renewing carriage agreements can also mean tense contract negotiations — and at times service disruptions.
YouTube TV and Disney have been down this road before. In 2021, YouTube TV subscribers also briefly lost access to all Disney content on the platform after a similar contract breakdown between the two companies. That outage lasted less than two days, with the companies eventually reaching an agreement.
Meanwhile, YouTube TV has removed other networks from its platform after expired agreements. Spanish-language broadcaster Univision has been unavailable on YouTube TV since Sept. 30, for example. At the time, its parent company TelevisaUnivision decried Google’s move — noting it would strip “millions of Hispanic viewers of the Spanish-language news, sports, and entertainment they rely on every day” and called on the platform to reverse course.
YouTube TV’s base subscription plan costs $82.99 per month — which, beyond Disney content, currently includes live TV offerings from networks like NBC, CBS, Fox, PBS and more. The platform previously said it would give subscribers a $20 credit its dispute with Disney lasted “an extended period of time” — which it reportedly allowed customers to start claiming on Nov. 9.
Disney also doles out live TV through both traditional broadcasting and its own lineup of streaming platforms. ESPN launched its own streamer earlier this year, starting at $29.99 a month. And other Disney content can be found on platforms like Hulu, Disney+ and Fubo. Disney currently allows people to bundle ESPN along with Hulu and Disney+ for $35.99 a month — or $29.99 a month for the first year.
Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, 31, pleaded guilty in September to illegally reentering the United States after he reached a deal with prosecutors. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security tweeted Friday afternoon that he has now been deported.
The tweet did not say whether he was transported back to his native Mexico or some other destination. The Associated Press sent an email message to his attorney, Martin Pruhs, seeking more details but he did not immediately respond.
Flores-Ruiz is at the center of a case against that could end with Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan in prison.
According to court documents, Flores-Ruiz left his home in Mexico at age 18 in 2013 and sneaked into the United States. He was apprehended and deported immediately after crossing the border, but reentered the country a few days later, making his way to Milwaukee where he worked in restaurants for about 12 years.
He was charged in March with three counts of misdemeanor battery after he allegedly got into a fight with his roommate. U.S. immigration agents learned he was in the country illegally after the Milwaukee County Jail submitted his fingerprints to federal databases, according to court documents.
He was scheduled to appear at a hearing before Dugan on April 18. U.S. immigration agents planned to arrest him at the hearing but prosecutors say Dugan learned they were waiting for him and led him out of her courtroom through a private door. From there, Flores-Ruiz made his way outside. Agents captured him after a foot chase in the streets.
A federal grand jury indicted Dugan in May on charges of obstruction and concealing an individual to prevent arrest. She’s set to stand trial beginning Dec. 15. She could face up to six years in federal prison if convicted.
“Judge Hannah Dugan’s actions to obstruct this violent criminal’s arrest take ‘activist judge’ to a whole new meaning,” the Department of Homeland Security said in its posting Friday. “Thanks to the brave men and women of ICE law enforcement, this criminal is OUT of our country.”
Dugan has denied any wrongdoing, arguing she has the right to run her courtroom the way she sees fit. Her attorneys declined to comment on Friday, but they filed briefs earlier in the day noting that Milwaukee County Chief Judge Carl Ashley sent an email to county judges about two weeks before Flores-Ruiz was arrested saying that courts must remain “safe havens” from immigration enforcement.
Flores-Ruiz spent most of the past seven months in jail. State prosecutors dropped two of the battery charges against him in October after he agreed to plead no contest to the third. He was sentenced to time served.
U.S. District Judge Pamela Pepper sentenced him to time served on the illegal entry charge on Nov. 6 as per prosecutors’ recommendation after he agreed to plead guilty and promised not to fight deportation.
