YouTube TV is offering a $20 credit to its subscribers who have been without ESPN, ABC, and other Disney-owned networks for over a week due to an ongoing contract dispute. The credit can be applied to customers' next billing statements, providing some relief for the prolonged programming interruption.
The news of the credit was initially reported by Variety and subsequently confirmed by a YouTube spokesperson to TechCrunch. YouTube has begun rolling out these credits, with subscribers receiving email instructions on how to redeem them.
Disney's channels were removed from the YouTube TV streaming service on October 31. YouTube has stated that if a new agreement is reached, the channels could be restored within hours. The core of the dispute, much like similar content negotiations, appears to be centered on pricing. YouTube has publicly criticized Disney's alleged price hike, while Disney maintains that YouTube is "refusing to pay fair rates for our channels."
This isn't the first time YouTube TV has faced a standoff with Disney. A previous contract dispute in 2022 led to a temporary removal of Disney programming, for which YouTube TV compensated customers with a $15 credit after the channels were blacked out for a single day.
