General Hospital fans lose ABC access on YouTube TV while negotiations with Disney stall

For weeks, General Hospital has been firing on all cylinders — the kind of stretch where fans stay glued to the screen, rewinding scenes just to catch tiny details. And just when Port Charles finally felt like it had its foot on the gas, something outside the show yanked the wheel. A whole chunk of the GH audience suddenly can’t see the episodes at all, leaving the momentum stalled behind a blackout no one saw coming.

Where is General Hospital?

Soap Opera Digest broke down the situation, laying out why General Hospital fans who rely on YouTube TV hit a wall at the end of October. According to the outlet, the trouble started when YouTube TV emailed customers on October 30 to explain why Disney-owned channels vanished overnight. The company spelled out the conflict plainly: “Our current agreement with Disney has approached its renewal date, and we will not agree to terms that disadvantage our members while benefiting Disney’s own live TV products.”

That loss didn’t just take ABC and General Hospital off the table — it wiped out ESPN, Freeform, FX, National Geographic, and even subscribers’ saved recordings. YouTube TV tried to soften the hit, telling customers, “We know how disruptive it is to lose channels you enjoy,” and promising a $20 credit if the outage dragged on. It did. And by November 9, a second email landed, saying, “We’ve been working in good faith to negotiate a deal with Disney that pays them fairly for their content,” while acknowledging that no deal had been reached.

In the meantime, Disney has done its own nudging. On ABC’s website, an “Act Now” button urges viewers to contact YouTube TV directly, insisting their voices “can make a difference.” Nothing has changed yet. (Find out about Carolyn Hennesy’s (Diane) surgery.)

How fans are coping — and what Soap Opera Digest posted

Soap Opera Digest also shared the news on Instagram, writing, “General Hospital fans are unable to watch the show on YouTube TV due to its dispute with Disney, but frustrated viewers have several options.” And that’s really where the conversation took off — in the comments section, where people started swapping survival tactics.

Some kept it simple. @mrs_willieldavis sighed, “Oh boy,” while @sunshinesmama39 reminded everyone, “It's on TV if you have #BellFibe.” A frustrated @c.harris61 chimed in, “They need to bring ABC back on YouTube TV. I'm missing it,” and @norenesmoke73 offered the quick fix: “U can watch it on Hulu after 8 pm.”

Others dropped the cord-cutter gospel. A General Hospital fan, @edclarkejr, advised, “Just use a TV antenna to get your local television stations, and they are free,” echoed by @theerqckstqrzhqusenhdzq3, who said, “Just buy a $10 antenna and hook it up where you would normally hook up your cable wire.”

But even the backups have their bumps. And one General Hospital diehard, @bmoreravensbutterfly, vented about Hulu’s errors, writing, “I only have @hulu to watch GH and have to constantly restart it… things that I don't have to do with any other app.”

Trending

For now, General Hospital keeps delivering — fans just need a reliable way to see it. Whether this standoff ends tomorrow or turns into a long winter freeze, viewers are scrambling to keep Port Charles in their nightly routine. And until YouTube TV and Disney shake hands, the workaround era rolls on. (Check out which awesome character actor had a surprise guest spot.)

General Hospital can be seen weekdays on ABC and Hulu.

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