YouTube now on the opposite side of the negotiation table, just resolved a months-long carriage battle with Roku. If the two businesses cannot establish a new distribution agreement by the end of the week, the company’s YouTube TV streaming customers would lose access to all Disney-owned channels.
The present agreement between YouTube TV and Disney expires on Friday, December 17, according to the firm. Subscribers will lose access to 18 Disney-owned channels, including their local ABC station, ABC News Live, The Disney Channel, FX, ESPN, and many others if a new arrangement is not reached by then. Customers would lose access to both live streaming channels and video-on-demand content as a result, according to YouTube.
Disney Junior, Disney XD, Freeform, FXX, FXM, National Geographic, National Geographic Wild, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPNU, ESPNews, SEC Network, and ACC Network are among the other networks affected. In other words, if an agreement cannot reach, a major portion of YouTube TV’s content would be lost. If this is the case, the corporation claims it would try to make up with customers by cutting the monthly price of its streaming service. Instead of charging $64.99 per month, it will reduce the price to $49.99 per month for as long as Disney-owned content is unavailable on its platform.
While the firm expects that all members will stay enrolled, it also stated that users would be able to stop or discontinue the service at any time. Customers who choose to stick with YouTube TV for its other programs may get Disney material directly through The Disney Bundle, which costs $13.99 per month. Previous discussions between YouTube and Roku looked to be about more than just money – Roku accused YouTube of requesting expanded access to customer data and preferential treatment on its platform. (However, Roku never disclosed if it eventually gave in to those conditions in order to close the sale, putting users in the dark about what would happen to their personal information!)
These Disney talks, on the other hand, appear to be breaking down overpricing, as these kinds of agreements normally do. Consumers used to be unaware when firms were at odds since disputes were resolved in the late hours of the day and service was unaffected.
Companies are increasingly using the strength of their consumer base — and their collective fury — as a negotiation tool these days. That is exactly what Roku did for several months before agreeing to a new deal with YouTube. And, to some extent, that’s what YouTube is doing today, in addition to letting customers know that if a deal isn’t struck, the service’s cost would plummet.
According to a YouTube blog post, “Disney is a significant partner for us, and we’re in active talks with them and working hard to preserve their programming on YouTube TV.”
“Our request to Disney, like with all of our partners, is that they treat YouTube TV like any other TV provider, by charging us the same prices as similar providers for as long as we run Disney’s channels.”
