Disney And Other Channels Are No Longer Available To Watch For Many People
After a failure to reach an agreement behind the scenes, Disney channel is being removed from a major service. Here's what's happening and what it means for audiences.
YouTube TV customers have discovered that the streaming platform services’ answer to cable is now without Disney, ESPN, and ABC, all channels owned by Disney. YouTube and Disney have failed to come to an agreement on new terms, so which has resulted in the removal of the three channels from the service. This is terrible news for those who watch ESPN for sports coverage and families that are missing out on their wholesome Disney channel content. The two companies potentially splitting due to a failed deal was a point of news earlier this year.
To supplement some of the damage that losing out on Disney networks has caused, YouTube has dropped its monthly price by 15 dollars, from $64.99 to $49.99. That might help soften the blow for some people, but with the ever confusing streaming landscape making it that much harder for people to watch their favorite programs, this could cause a rift that might not be amended so easily. It seems that switching over from cable to streaming services has now become a complicated endeavor for many.
Both companies issued statements on the rift, and YouTube TV was the first to draw blood in putting the blame completely on Disney. A spokesperson for YouTube TV claimed they will return to a favorable partnership when Disney offers them “equitable terms.” For as huge as the Disney conglomerate is now, they shouldn’t be so hard-pressed to want to work out a deal with YouTube TV.
Disney responded in kind to the allegations that they were seemingly being difficult in this new deal. Their rebuttal was, “Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution has a highly successful track record of negotiating such agreements with providers of all types and sizes across the country and is committed to working with Google to reach a fair, market-based agreement.” It would appear that the massive company wants to do everything in its power to reach a fair agreement, but what is fair? Ultimately, it seems the two companies can’t agree on that issue.
Further comments by YouTube were, “Our ask to Disney, as with all our partners, is to treat YouTube TV like any other TV provider – by offering us the same rates that services of a similar size pay, across Disney’s channels for as long as we carry them.” It appears that YouTube TV doesn’t see that they are getting compensated fairly enough to hold these channels on their platform. This could turn into a tough situation to be in for both parties concerned.
Audiences tune in to ESPN just for Monday Night Football alone, which could severely hinder customers wanting to use YouTube TV. Disney is also losing out on a ton of viewership by their channels no longer being available to YouTube TV customers. It would appear that both parties made their statements, but a deal is likely to come to fruition soon. The money that both companies stand to lose by parting ways might be too much. One, or both, will have to cave, especially if customers begin to cancel the service in droves. At least the streaming service is 15 dollars cheaper, for now.
