Home / Business and Economy / YouTube TV and Disney Reach Landmark Deal, Restoring ESPN and ABC
YouTube TV and Disney Reach Landmark Deal, Restoring ESPN and ABC
15 Nov
Summary
- YouTube TV and Disney reach agreement after nearly 2-week blackout
- Deal includes access to ESPN's new direct-to-consumer app
- YouTube TV has 10 million subscribers, making it a major platform
In a significant development for the live TV streaming landscape, YouTube TV and Disney have reached an agreement to restore ESPN, ABC, and other Disney-owned channels to YouTube TV's platform. The deal, announced on November 13, 2025, comes after nearly two weeks of the Disney channels being inaccessible to YouTube TV's 10 million subscribers.
The new agreement will not only bring back ESPN, ABC, and other Disney networks, but it will also grant YouTube TV users access to ESPN's new direct-to-consumer streaming app. This is a major win for sports fans, as the app includes coverage of major events like WWE's WrestleMania.
The negotiations leading up to this deal were intense, with Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Disney CEO Bob Iger becoming directly involved in the final stages. Disney's entertainment co-chairs Dana Walden and Alan Bergman, along with ESPN chair Jimmy Pitaro, led the negotiations on Disney's side. The talks were further complicated by the involvement of Justin Connolly, who had recently switched from Disney to YouTube TV, but was forced to recuse himself from the negotiations.
The resolution of this dispute is a significant victory for YouTube TV, which has emerged as the third-largest cable-like platform with 10 million subscribers. The platform's focus on live sports viewing has made ESPN and its networks an essential partner, and this deal ensures that YouTube TV can continue to offer a comprehensive live TV experience to its growing user base.
