All Disney channels including ESPN, ABC, and Nat Geo have been removed from Youtube TV

In a somewhat unbelievable blow to users, Google and Disney were not able to come to an agreement to renew their contract for allowing Disney-owned channels on Youtube TV. For many, this will be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. Today in a blog post update to their original announcement from December 13th, 2021, Google dropped the news that their continued conversations with the family content giant had fallen through.

Members, we worked hard to avoid this but were unable to reach a fair deal with Disney. We regret to share that as of December 17, all Disney-owned channels are unavailable on YouTube TV. While Disney content remains off our platform, we’ll decrease our price by $15/month.

— YouTube TV (@YouTubeTV) December 18, 2021

Can you imagine being the person who has to deliver such news? The company posted on Twitter that they had worked hard to avoid this, but despite their best efforts, they were unable to come through for their users. Starting yesterday, you may have realized that 18 Disney-owned channels have disappeared from the Youtube TV platform. Here’s the full list:

A new email is going out to users, and a service update pop-up is also being presented that discusses all of this. As a result, and as we previously reported, Youtube TV is now decreasing its monthly base price from $64.99 USD to $49.99 USD. That’s a $15 price decrease. If we’re honest, we probably can’t blame Youtube for this though. You can get the Disney Bundle that has all Disney-owned content, ESPN, and Hulu for just $13.99 USD and that would place you in the Mouse House, so no matter what Google said to Disney, I think that the company had just decided it was time to take their users into their own hands.

If I were Disney, I probably would have done the same thing, and no amount of negotiation would have gotten me to let someone else hold on to millions of people for little to no extra benefit to me. This is probably what has been going through Disney’s head for a while now, so this was likely inevitable.

You can see all of the terms of the price change on Youtube TV’s update. Basically, all Disney channels have been removed from the service already, including recordings and 4K content, your next billing cycle will reflect the fifty bucks if you have a base pricing, or will just be decreased by $15 USD for those who have other add-on channels, or those with promotional pricing. If the two entertainment giants come to an agreement, the price will go back up to $64.99 as a base, but let’s be honest, The Mouse has left the building and isn’t coming back.

We know this is frustrating news, and it is not the outcome we wanted. We will continue conversations with Disney to advocate on your behalf in hopes of restoring their content on YouTube TV.

Youtube TV

If you’d like to keep access to all of this Disney content, just sign up for The Disney Bundle. Visit the link, or open your account Settings on Disney+ to upgrade. Aside from your recordings and unlimited cloud DVR (kind of a big deal), you’re basically just shifting allegiances and getting settled into a new home for those channels. It’s worth noting that Hulu, for example, maxes out at 50 hours of DVR recording, but you can pay for more…which means more money.

For anyone keeping their Youtube TV package after this situation, there’s no action that you need to take to get the price decreased, and anyone who has paused their account will begin receiving the $15 credit one month after their first charge once they’ve unpaused their service.

Ultimately, although this isn’t a big deal for those who just want to stream Disney content, it’s not only annoying, but it’s also frustrating to those who prefer Youtube TV’s tools and benefits. Losing Disney is a big blow to Youtube TV, and I can’t downplay this as much as I thought once I looked at all of the chips that are no longer on the table. Are you canceling your service, or are you not affected so much by this? My last thought is that Disney is risking tons of viewership in hoping that all of those users will make the journey out of Youtube TV and into their open arms, but they probably decided that it was worth the risk since they’re so rich.