YouTube TV Makes Statement Amid ESPN Standoff

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Dibyendu Mondal | Last updated Nov 12, 2025 10:55 AM ET

Nearly two weeks have passed since Disney-owned channels, including ESPN and ABC, went dark on YouTube TV after a carriage deal expired at the end of October, leaving millions without live sports.

Negotiations broke down between the two companies when the parties could not meet each other's demands, resulting in a big chunk of the American audience losing coverage of "College GameDay."

A report published Tuesday by Awful Announcing Puck sports correspondent John Ourand, said YouTube TV was seeking a permanently lower per-subscriber rate for Disney channels than the three largest pay-TV distributors.

Disney sees that as untenable because it could trigger “most favored nation” clauses in existing contracts. The piece argued YouTube’s rapid subscriber growth gives it leverage and that any special pricing for Google’s service could force Disney to extend the same terms to Comcast, Charter and DirecTV.

The cable providers and YouTube TV represent roughly 68% of U.S. pay-TV homes, so Disney would lose distribution revenue.

YouTube TV pushed back on parts of that reporting, telling Awful Announcing it is “not asking for the lower rates immediately,” but instead wants to codify lower rates once it surpasses the three other distributors in subscribers.

In the meantime, the company says it would pay the same rates as other distributors. The company also told Awful Announcing the sides agree on the price for ESPN, while the sticking point remains ABC, largely because Disney has shifted more live sports to ABC in recent years, a move distributors say effectively duplicates premium ESPN inventory. Those differences help explain why a resolution does not appear imminent.

The impasse carries clear commercial pain. Morgan Stanley has put the cost to Disney at roughly $30 million a week, or about $4.3 million a day, while YouTube TV risks losing subscribers the longer marquee sports and prime-time shows remain unavailable.

A spokesperson for YouTube TV says that the company and Disney are in alignment when it comes to the price for ESPN, but the primary sticking point in the negotiation currently is the price of ABC, per Drew Lerner.

The YouTube TV blackout of ESPN will continue until the two… pic.twitter.com/GRc6PZau1u
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) November 12, 2025

Google has offered affected customers a $20 credit as the talks continue. That dynamic gives both sides an incentive to cut a deal, but it also exposes how legacy contract terms, especially most-favored-nation language and how carriers value simulcast rights on ABC versus ESPN, can complicate modern streaming-era negotiations.

Unless either Disney or YouTube TV changes its negotiating posture, the standoff looks set to persist. So, YouTube TV subscribers will continue being on the losing end.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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