YouTube TV, the streaming service owned by Google, is in the early stages of development and has not yet been announced as a competitor to Netflix. However, if YouTube TV does not succeed in becoming a major player in the streaming market, it may be forced to compete with Netflix. Disney’s channels are one of the main reasons why YouTube TV is being developed. If Disney decides to discontinue its channels on YouTube TV, it would likely mean that YouTube TV would lose out on a large portion of its subscriber base. This could lead to a decrease in revenue for YouTube TV and could even lead to its closure. If Disney decides not to keep its channels on YouTube TV, it may have to compete with Netflix for subscribers. This could mean that YouTube TV’s price would go up and it would not be as popular as it currently is.
YouTube TV posted on its blog and sent an email to subscribers breaking down the situation. YouTube TV explained what’s happening:
As a result of this negotiation, YouTube TV subscribers could lose all of Disney’s channels. To compensate, Google will drop the price of YouTube TV by $15 per month, which will provide subscribers with enough savings to sign up for Disney+.
Here are the channels YouTube TV could lose (along with local ABC channels):
ABC News Live Disney Channel Disney Junior Disney XD Freeform FX FXX FXM National Geographic National Geographic Wild ESPN ESPN2 ESPN3 (by authentication to the ESPN app) ESPNU ESPNEWS SEC Network ACC Network
As far as the sticking points, it comes down to money. Google doesn’t want to pay too much for Disney’s channels, and Disney wants more money. Here’s what YouTube TV said to subscribers:
If the compies can’t reach an agreement by December 17, 2021, YouTube TV’s price will drop, and the channels will go missing from the lineup for as long as it takes to reach a new deal (assuming the two films can agree at some point).
