ABC, ESPN and Other Disney Networks Just Went Dark Amid Carriage Dispute

ABC, ESPN and other Disney networks just went dark on YouTube TV amid the ongoing carriage dispute between the two companies.

The networks went dark just after 11:15 p.m. ET Thursday, shortly before the official expiration of the companies’ distribution agreement at midnight, leaving 10 million YouTube TV subscribers without access to the networks’ programming and threatening major sports telecasts scheduled for the weekend.

The two companies have been negotiating over rates for weeks, with Disney threatening YouTube TV with a blackout, but there has been no agreement as of Friday morning.

“Members, when we renew our contracts with network partners, we advocate for fair pricing to offer you the best TV experience,” YouTube TV wrote in a statement on social media Thursday. “Our contract with Disney has reached its renewal date, and we’ll not agree to terms that disadvantage our members while benefiting Disney’s TV products.”

“Despite our best efforts, we have not been able to reach a fair deal, and starting today, Disney programming will not be available on YouTube TV,” the statement continued. “This means you will no longer be able to watch channels like ABC and ESPN or access recordings from these networks in your Library.”

The statement concluded, “We know how disruptive it is to lose channels you enjoy, and we’re committed to continuing to work with Disney to reach an agreement. If their content is unavailable for an extended period of time, we’ll offer our members a $20 credit.”

Disney also issued a statement about the blackout, saying Thursday, “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. Without a new agreement in place, their subscribers will not have access to our programming.”

The company’s statement claimed that Google is “using its market dominance to eliminate competition and undercut the industry-standard terms we’ve successfully negotiated with every other distributor,” concluding, “We know how frustrating this is for YouTube TV subscribers and remain committed to working toward a resolution as quickly as possible.”

This is not the first time YouTube TV has become embroiled in a distribution conflict this year, with last-minute agreements with NBCUniversal, Paramount and Fox Corp. keeping those networks on the air. Univision, however, has been unavailable on YouTube TV since the end of September.