Disney to pull ABC, ESPN and more from YouTube TV after carriage deal collapses

Disney is set to pull big-name channels like ABC, ESPN, and more than 20 others from YouTube TV after its deal with Google reportedly fell apart.

This blackout couldn’t have come at a worse time: college football playoffs and all the big sports seasons are heating up, and now, millions of YouTube TV subscribers have lost access to their favorite live sports and shows.

The two companies had been butting heads for months. Disney said Google wouldn’t pay up, while Google fired back that Disney was demanding too much money and trying to push viewers toward its own live TV services, such as Hulu + Live TV and Fubo.

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Disney to pull ABC, ESPN, and more from YouTube TV

Disney and Google, which owns YouTube TV, are expected to let their carriage deal expire at 11:59 PM ET on October 31, 2025.

As soon as the clock hits midnight, YouTube TV will drop all Disney-owned channels, including ABC, ESPN, Disney Channel, Freeform, FX, and National Geographic. Both companies spent months trying to hammer out a new contract, but they couldn’t agree on renewal terms.

Disney said YouTube TV refused to pay what it calls fair value for some of the biggest live sports and entertainment out there, such as the NFL, NBA, NHL, college football, and more. Disney didn’t hold back, accusing Google of using its huge market power to demand lower-than-standard rates, and claimed Google was steering viewers toward Disney’s own live TV platforms like Hulu + Live TV and Fubo, where all that content is still up and running.

A Disney spokesperson was quoted as saying by ScreenRant:

“Unfortunately, Google’s YouTube TV has chosen to deny their subscribers the content they value most by refusing to pay fair rates for our channels, including ESPN and ABC.”

The source added:

“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. 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.”

Google pushed back, saying Disney wanted higher fees that would drive up costs for YouTube TV subscribers and cut back their channel choices. According to Google, Disney was basically threatening a blackout to strong-arm YouTube TV into a deal that would help Disney’s other streaming platforms, ones that go head-to-head with YouTube TV.

Google insisted it was still negotiating, but made it clear: if things didn’t get sorted out, they would give YouTube TV users a $20 monthly credit to help make up for losing Disney channels.

A YouTube TV representative was quoted as saying by ScreenRant:

“Last week Disney used the threat of a blackout on YouTube TV as a negotiating tactic to force deal terms that would raise prices on our customers. They’re now following through on that threat, suspending their content on YouTube TV. This decision directly harms our subscribers while benefiting their own live TV products, including Hulu + Live TV and Fubo.”

This is the fifth big distribution fight YouTube TV has dealt with in 2025. They have already had showdowns with NBCUniversal, Fox, Paramount, and TelevisaUnivision. Sometimes, both sides worked things out right at the last minute.

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Industry implications and broader context

The Disney-YouTube TV row shows how chaotic things are getting as streaming services scramble for top content and costs keep climbing. Disney, now worth more than $3 trillion, is taking full advantage of its huge library: basically squeezing every bit of value it can from its live sports and entertainment.

This blackout on YouTube TV isn’t random. Disney’s networks have actually picked up a lot more viewers lately, so they are even more determined to push people toward their own streaming apps and play hardball with anyone else who wants their shows.

As per TheWrap, Disney’s TV networks had a great September in 2025 as viewership jumped 13% from August. They picked up a full share point, so now they grab 10.7% of all TV viewing.

Disney+ also had a big year. Thanks to hits like Moana 2, Mufasa: The Lion King, and the new Daredevil: Born Again series, the streaming service pulled in 1.4 million new subscribers just in the first quarter, according to the numbers cited by The Direct. Now, they have about 126 million subscribers worldwide, with U.S. and Canada numbers looking especially strong.

Meanwhile, YouTube TV sits at around 10 million subscribers. But here is the problem: the blackout of Disney channels like ESPN and ABC will leave millions of people without access, especially people who tune in for live sports.

Normally, streaming services lose about 5% of their subscribers every month, according to Antenna. But when you pull away major channels, people start canceling or switching even faster. With Disney’s live sports and prime-time shows off the table, YouTube TV could see those cancellation rates spike.

Even with all this, YouTube TV brought in nearly $9 billion in revenue in the first quarter of 2025. But if the blackout drags on, it could hurt their growth and chip away at that revenue, especially if viewers keep jumping ship.