YouTube TV and Disney have reached a deal that will restore ESPN, ABC and other channels to the platform’s 10 million subscribers after nearly a two-week hiatus, the companies announced Friday night.
The deal will give Alphabet’s (GOOG) (GOOGL)YouTube TV subscribers access to ESPN’s new direct-to-consumer “Unlimited” service at no additional cost, as part of YouTube TV’s base plan. That is most notable for WWE fans, as WWE’s major events — including Wrestlemania — are now part of ESPN’s Unlimited offering. The Unlimited service will also be accessible directly on the YouTube TV platform.
YouTube TV subscribers pay a little more than $80 per month for the base plan. The rollout will be completed by the end of 2026.
All of Disney’s channels will remain on YouTube TV’s service, led by ABC and all of ESPN’s networks.
In a statement, YouTube TV said, “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. Subscribers should see channels including ABC, ESPN and FX returning to their service over the course of the day, as well as any recordings that were previously in their Library. We apologize for the disruption and appreciate our subscribers’ patience as we negotiated on their behalf.”
Disney Entertainment co-chairmen Alan Bergman ad Dana Walden and ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro said, “This new agreement reflects our continued commitment to delivering exceptional entertainment and evolving with how audiences choose to watch. It recognizes the tremendous value of Disney’s programming and provides YouTube TV subscribers with more flexibility and choice. We are pleased that our networks have been restored in time for fans to enjoy the many great programming options this weekend, including college football.”
Since Oct. 30th, encompassing two weekends and Monday nights, YouTube TV subscribers have gone without ESPN’s expansive college football slate of games and “Monday Night Football.”