Disney networks go dark on YouTube TV after sides fail to reach deal

A slew of Disney-owned networks have gone dark on YouTube TV after the two sides were unable to reach a retransmission deal to replace the one that expired Oct. 30, 2025.

Networks including Disney Channel, ESPN, National Geographic, FX and others have all been removed from the vMVPD.

YouTube TV subscribers reported that the networks went off around 11:15 p.m. eastern Oct. 30, which was about 45 minutes before the deal was set to expire at 11:59 p.m.

YouTube TV had already indicated it would give users a $20-per-month credit if the Disney networks remain unavailable for an “extended” period of time, though it was unclear what that threshold might be.

The blackout includes ABC stations in select markets where the network owns the local affiliate. Viewers outside these markets, which include New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Raleigh, Fresno, California, and Houston, Texas. 

ABC affiliates owned by other groups, such as Tegna, Hearst, Sinclair and Nexstar are not affected because those are covered under separate retransmission agreements. 

The issue will also not affect Disney-owned stations on other MVPDs and vMVPDs, such as Xfinity, Spectrum or DirecTV, because those deals are also negotiated separately. 

“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,” Disney said in a statement. “With a $3 trillion market cap, Google is using its market dominance to eliminate competition and undercut the industry-standard terms we’ve successfully negotiated with every other distributor. We know how frustrating this is for YouTube TV subscribers and remain committed to working toward a resolution as quickly as possible.”

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The blackout comes at a key time as fall programming heats up and Disney completed its acquisition of Fubo to form the sixth-largest pay TV provider in the country when combined with its Hulu + Live TV service.

Meanwhile, YouTube issued its own statement. “Last week, Disney used the threat of a blackout on YouTube TV as a negotiating tactic to force deal terms that would raise prices on our customers. They’re now following through on that threat, suspending their content on YouTube TV. This decision directly harms our subscribers while benefiting their own live TV products, including Hulu + Live TV and Fubo. We know this is a frustrating and disappointing outcome for our subscribers and we continue to urge Disney to work with us constructively to reach a fair agreement that restores their networks to YouTube TV.”

YouTube TV has battled with several other network owners in recent memory, including a recently resolved deal with NBCUniversal. No blackout resulted in those negotiations because the two sides agreed to a short-term extension.

Below is a list of all the affected networks:

• ABC (in select markets where ABC owns the local affiliate) 
• ESPN
• ESPN2
• Freeform
• FX
• FXX
• Disney Junior
• SEC Network
• Nat Geo
• Nat Geo Wild
• Disney Channel
• ESPNU
• FXM
• ABC News Live
• ACC Network
• Disney XD
• Localish
• ESPNews
• ESPN Deportes (Spanish Plan)
• Baby TV Español (Spanish Plan)
• Nat Geo Mundo (Spanish Plan)