Disney has pulled its channels, including ESPN, ABC, and FX from YouTube TV. Both companies failed to renew their distribution agreement before the October 30 midnight deadline. Of course, this happened right before college football on Saturday. This left fans scrambling to find new ways to watch games like Georgia vs. Florida or Vanderbilt vs. Texas.
The Blame Game
Disney says Google, which owns YouTube TV, refuses to pay fair rates for its content and is undercutting competitors. YouTube TV counters that Disney’s demands would drive up costs for consumers. They also accused Disney of using the blackout as leverage in negotiations.
Disney and Google can point the finger at each other but both are to blame. Both companies are worth billions. Both should be able to afford to take a short-term financial hit without punishing subscribers. Yet once again, they’ve chosen to let their audience bear the brunt of the fallout.
The Cost of Corporate Pride
It goes back to what I mentioned in one of my last articles about streaming. Companies only care about protecting their bottom line rather than giving consumers a good deal.
For sports fans, the blackout is more than a temporary inconvenience. Viewers have to decide if it’s worth subscribing to Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ just for live sports when they’re not interested in anything else.
YouTube TV promised to credit subscribers $20 if the blackout continues. It’s a nice gesture, but it doesn’t fix the main issue. People are still paying for channels they no longer have access to.
YouTube TV was supposed to be a cheaper, more flexible alternative to cable. Now it can barely offer the channels they promised their customers.
Disney and YouTube TV are still negotiating. The channels will probably return, but the damage is already done. The constant tug-of-war over carriage fees shows that these companies don’t care about delivering value to customers.
The real losers aren’t Disney or Google. It’s the customers missing their favorite games.
