YouTube TV subscribers, your channels – and your football – are back. Disney and YouTube announced Friday evening that the two companies had reached an agreement. YouTube TV subscribers lost all Disney channels, including ESPN and ESPN2, on October 30. Those who wanted to watch the NFL or college football on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2 or Disney family hits such as Bluey, had to find other alternatives.
“We are pleased to announce that we have reached an agreement with Disney that preserves the value of our service for our subscribers and the future flexibility of our offerings,” a YouTube spokesperson said. “Subscribers should see ABC, ESPN and FX return to their service throughout the day, along with any recordings that were previously in their library. We apologize for the disruption and appreciate our subscribers’ patience while we negotiate on their behalf.”
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The companies said in a statement that they had reached a multi-year agreement and were already reinstating the channels on YouTube TV.
According to YouTube, subscribers should see content and saved recordings restored over the next 24 hours. So if you haven’t collected them yet, they should appear soon.
I subscribe to YouTube TV myself and as of 5:30 p.m. PT on Friday, Disney, ESPN and other channels have been restored for me. As a die-hard Minnesota Vikings fan (yes, I know), I’ve temporarily added Fubo TV, but I won’t be keeping that subscription.
According to the release, the agreement will include the restoration of the channels, as well as other elements. The unlimited version of ESPN’s new direct-to-consumer service will now be available at no additional cost to YouTube TV subscribers. Subscribers will also have access to a selection of live and on-demand programming from ESPN Unlimited on YouTube TV. Additionally, some networks will be included in various genre-specific plans, and it will be possible to include the Disney Plus Hulu plan as part of certain YouTube deals.
“This new agreement reflects our continued commitment to delivering exceptional entertainment and evolving with the way audiences choose to watch,” Disney Entertainment Co-Chairmen Alan Bergman and Dana Walden, along with ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro, said in the release. “It recognizes the tremendous value of Disney programming and provides YouTube TV subscribers with more flexibility and choice. We are pleased that our networks have been restored in time for fans to enjoy the many exciting programming options this weekend, including college football.”
The Disney-owned channels were removed on October 30, when the agreement between the two companies expired.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the resulting 25-day blackout was the longest in recent memory for Disney.
Here is a full list of channels that were removed due to the dispute:
- ABC
- ABC News Live
- ACC Network
- Baby TV Español (Spanish plan)
- Disney Channel
- Disney Junior
- DisneyXD
- ESPN
- ESPN deports (Spanish plan)
- ESPNews
- ESPNU
- ESPN2
- Free form
- Effects
- FXM
- FXX
- Localist
- Nat Geo
- Nat Geo Mundo (Spanish Map)
- Nat Géo Sauvage
- SEC Network
