Disney closes on Fubo acquisition as YouTube TV blackout looms

Disney has put the final touches on its acquisition of Fubo, a move that will help it expand the reach of its pay TV operations currently anchored by Hulu + Live TV, even as Disney-owned channels could go dark on YouTube TV.

Combined, the two services have about 6 million vMVPD subscribers.

Disney has said it will continue to operate both services separately with separate plans and channel lineups as well as retaining their brand names. 

The 6 million combined figure means that Disney now controls the sixth-largest pay TV provider in the U.S.

The figure moves it much closer to fellow vMVPD provider YouTube TV, which said it had passed the 8 million subscriber mark in early 2024 but is reportedly inching closer to 10 million.

Disney’s acquisition of the Fubo was a result of 2024 settlement over an antitrust lawsuit Fubo brought against Disney, Fox Corp. and Warner Bros. Discovery after the trio attempted to launch Venu Sports, a venture that would have created a standalone sports-centric streamer. 

Those plans were scrapped about Venu lost a key legal battle over alleged anti-competitive behavior that had, according to the suit, attempt to make it more challenging for Fubo to operate.

Meanwhile, Disney is currently locked in a retransmission battle with YouTube TV, which means its subscribers could lose access to local ABC-owned stations as well as Disney-owned networks such as ESPN and Disney Channel. 

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The companies’ current deal expires Oct. 30, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. eastern, and so far the two sides have been unable to reach a deal. 

ABC-owned stations and Disney networks have been running scrolls during popular programming alerting YouTube TV subscribers of a potential blackout. 

It’s not clear if Hulu + Live TV and Fubo’s new combined figure could be a factor in negotiations — or if it might prove beneficial to Disney as a bargaining chip.