Disney and YouTube TV end their two-week carriage dispute

Disney Channel and Disney Junior are back on the AVOD streamer now that the companies have struck a new multi-year distribution deal.
November 17, 2025

After 15 days of mud-slinging, Disney and YouTube TV have reached an agreement to end a carriage standoff that saw roughly nine million subscribers lose access to 20 of Disney’s channels.

In a brief statement on Friday, YouTube noted that Disney’s channels were available on the service again. Disney provided a bit more detail, noting that the new agreement goes beyond simply restoring the channels: It’s a multi-year distribution deal that will offer ESPN’s DTC service to YouTube TV subscribers at no extra cost, and it also opens up a subscription optionĀ  for a Disney+ and Hulu bundle. This means Disney will get even more of its programming in front of YouTube TV’s viewers, while YouTube TV provides more value to its subscribers.

Disney called this outcome a win. “It recognizes the tremendous value of Disney’s programming and provides YouTube TV subscribers with more flexibility and choice,” said Disney Entertainment co-chairmen Alan Bergman and Dana Walden in a joint statement with ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro.

The companies’ very public dispute kicked off as a disagreement over carriage terms. YouTube TV, a US subscription service with live channels and roughly nine million subscribers, didn’t want to have to pay higher rates for Disney’s content. Disney, arguing that YouTube was refusing to pay a fair price for its programming, pulled all of its channels—including Disney Junior, Disney Channel and Disney XD—from the service on October 30. (Neither company has revealed whether YouTube eventually agreed to pay the higher content rates.)

In a round-about way, YouTube TV did acknowledge the value of Disney’s programming by offering its subscribers a US$20 credit for the period when the channels went dark. (Sports was probably the biggest factor behind this move, since subscribers lost access to ESPN feeds for some big games.)

At 15 days, this is Disney’s longest blackout to date; it went toe to toe with DirecTV for 13 days last year, a standoff that also saw plenty of barbs traded between the sparring companies.

About The Author
Senior reporter for Kidscreen. Ryan covers tech, talent and general kids entertainment news, with a passion for kids rap content and video games. Have a story that's of interest to Kidscreen readers? Contact Ryan at rtuchow@brunico.com

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