Google’s battle with Disney over YouTube TV is only getting started, and Google just rejected Disney’s request to temporarily restore ABC to the platform so that US viewers can access coverage of elections taking place today (November 4).
Despite having had all of its channels removed from YouTube TV amid an ongoing dispute over terms for a new carriage agreement, Disney filed a request to temporarily reinstate ABC on YouTube TV for coverage of elections, including the mayoral election in New York City, and gubernatorial elections in New Jersey and Virginia, in the ‘public interest’.
On Monday, a Disney spokesperson provided a statement to Deadline detailing the full reason for the request: “Despite the impasse that led to the current blackout, we have asked YouTube TV to restore ABC for Election Day so subscribers have access to the information they rely on. We believe in putting the public interest first and hope YouTube TV will take this small step for their customers while we continue to work toward a fair agreement.”
However YouTube was quick to issue a response, and it wasn’t the one that Disney was hoping for. In its own blog post, YouTube expressed its thanks for Disney’s proposal and acknowledged that while customer needs are its priority the deal was non-negotiable, stating the following:
“As you know from the many content disputes you’ve been part of, customers don’t want companies fighting and content blackouts. But unfortunately, your proposal would permit us to return Disney’s ABC stations only for a day and will cause customer confusion among those who may briefly see ABC on YouTube TV only to lose it again shortly after.”
Additionally, the company went on to note that not only are there other channels on YouTube TV for customers to access election day viewing, but for the last two years the majority of subscribers chose not to watch ABC for election-related information.
Disney removes movies from Google TV, and more
Amid the dispute, Disney has also begun pulling its titles from a handful of Google-owned storefronts – and not just YouTube TV.
Now, you can no longer find Disney’s range of movies and TV shows to purchase or rent on Google TV, YouTube, and the Play store, 9to5Google reports. Instead, you can only watch titles owned by Disney and its subsidiaries if you’re subscribed to Disney+, or if you’ve previously purchased them.
While landing pages for Disney titles are still live on the Google Play store and YouTube, the only options that remain are ‘Add to wishlist’ and ‘Play trailer’, but it’s not just the case for Disney’s family-friendly content.
Disney’s subsidiaries have distributed movies beyond the classic child-friendly animated features the company is synonymous with, and some of its more mature titles have also been hit – for example, you can’t rent or buy live-action movies distributed under the Disney umbrella such as The Help (2011).
At the moment, this dispute is still ongoing and it’s unclear when or if the two sides will reach an agreement. For now, YouTube TV is compensating subscribers up to $60 for the loss of Disney-owned channels.
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