Stop me if you’ve heard this before: YouTube TV may lose a provider’s content because a deadline is approaching without a deal in place. This time, the media company is Disney. It’s a warning (via Variety) that their networks could soon go dark on Google’s streaming service.
The two sides are negotiating ahead of the Oct. 30 deadline at midnight ET. If they can’t reach a deal by then, all Disney content will disappear from YouTube TV. That includes (but is not limited to) all ESPN channels, local ABC stations, ABC News, FX, NatGeo, Disney Channel and Freeform. A YouTube spokesperson said Variety that if that were to happen for “an extended period of time,” subscribers would receive a $20 credit.
One aspect of these battles is finger-pointing, as each side attempts to take advantage of public perception. Disney says YouTube is trying to force the mouse to pay below market value. Meanwhile, YouTube claims that Disney is “proposing costly financial terms” that could lead to even higher subscription fees. YouTube TV launched at $35 per month in 2017 and now costs a whopping $83 monthly.
If recent history is any indication, you can expect the dire takedown warnings to continue until a last-second deal is reached. This has already happened several times this year.
In February, YouTube TV and Paramount had that dance. Google’s streaming network and Fox reached a renewal deal in August after repeated content removal warnings. YouTube TV and NBCUniversal followed suit earlier this month. However, in that case, the streaming service abandoned Univision and other TelevisaUnivision networks, so good deals are not inevitable. Time will tell how this plays out, but it’s hard to imagine either side wanting to play chicken after the October 30 deadline.
