Disney channels return to YouTube TV as companies strike new deal featuring ESPN Unlimited

Disney and YouTube TV have officially ended their 15-day carriage standoff, restoring Disney-owned channels and wrapping one of the most-watched media spats in recent months. The new multi-year deal brings back ABC, ESPN, and other Disney networks — plus a few upgrades for YouTube TV’s 10 million subscribers.

As part of the agreement, users will get access to the Unlimited tier of ESPN’s new direct-to-consumer service at no additional cost. Disney’s “duo bundle” of Disney+ and Hulu will also appear in “select YouTube offerings,” and some Disney networks will join new genre-based add-on packages.

A major sticking point throughout negotiations was ingestion — the technical process of integrating content into YouTube’s ecosystem. While executives publicly sparred over pricing, the real tension centered on whether YouTube would be able to ingest certain Disney content directly. According to a person familiar with the deal, the companies agreed to a limited form of ingestion: ESPN Unlimited content will live inside the YouTube TV app, but YouTube won’t ingest channels into its broader channel store, a move programmers fear could undercut their long-term streaming business models.

“This new agreement reflects our continued commitment to delivering exceptional entertainment and evolving with how audiences choose to watch,’’ Disney Entertainment Co-Chairmen Alan Bergman and Dana Walden and ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro said in a joint statement. “It recognizes the tremendous value of Disney’s programming and provides YouTube TV subscribers with more flexibility and choice.”

YouTube TV will restore Disney programming — including cloud DVR recordings — over the next 24 hours. The timing is crucial: the blackout, Disney’s longest ever, nearly stretched into a third weekend of college football and threatened Monday Night Football’s Dallas Cowboys–Las Vegas Raiders matchup.

“We’re happy to share that we’ve reached an agreement with Disney that preserves the value of our service for our subscribers and future flexibility in our offers,” a YouTube spokesperson said. “We apologize for the disruption and appreciate our subscribers’ patience as we negotiated on their behalf.”