YouTube TV and ABC ended their contract in December 2022
YouTube TV removed ABC from its channel lineup on December 31, 2022, after the two companies could not reach a new carriage agreement. A carriage agreement is the contract that lets a streaming service carry a broadcaster's channels. When YouTube TV and Disney (which owns ABC) could not agree on the price YouTube TV would pay to keep ABC, ESPN, and other Disney-owned channels, Disney pulled them all from the service.
This was not a technical failure or a temporary outage. It was a business disagreement over how much YouTube TV should pay Disney for the right to stream those channels to subscribers. YouTube TV wanted to pay less; Disney wanted more money. Neither side moved far enough to meet in the middle, so the channels went dark for YouTube TV users on New Year's Eve 2022.
The removal affected not just ABC but also ESPN, FX, National Geographic, and several other channels owned by Disney. For YouTube TV subscribers who relied on these channels, the loss was sudden and permanent unless they switched to a different streaming service or went back to cable.
Key Takeaways
- YouTube TV and Disney could not agree on how much YouTube TV should pay to carry ABC, ESPN, and other Disney channels, so Disney removed them on December 31, 2022.
- Carriage disputes like this happen regularly in streaming and cable, but they usually get resolved within weeks or months—this one lasted longer because the disagreement was large.
- YouTube TV subscribers lost access to live ABC broadcasts, sports on ESPN, and shows on FX and National Geographic when the channels were pulled.
- YouTube TV later reached a new deal with Disney in March 2023, and the channels returned to the service.
How carriage agreements work and why they break down
Every time you watch a channel on YouTube TV, Hulu Live, or cable, a contract is in place between the streaming service or cable company and the broadcaster or network that owns the channel. That contract—the carriage agreement—sets the price the streaming service pays per subscriber per month to carry the channel.
The price is not fixed. Every few years, the contract expires and both sides negotiate a new one. If they agree on a price, the channel stays on. If they cannot agree, the broadcaster can pull the channel until a deal is struck. YouTube TV and Disney had been in this negotiation cycle many times before, but the December 2022 dispute was unusually bitter because the gap between what each side wanted was wide.
YouTube TV wanted to keep its monthly price low for subscribers. Disney wanted YouTube TV to pay more per subscriber to carry its premium channels like ESPN and ABC. YouTube TV argued that it was already paying Disney a lot of money and that raising the price would force YouTube TV to raise its own subscription fees. Disney said its content was worth the higher price and that other streaming services were already paying it.
Why this dispute lasted so long
Most carriage disputes are resolved in days or weeks. The YouTube TV and Disney fight dragged on for months because both companies were willing to walk away. YouTube TV had already lost other major networks in previous disputes and survived. Disney, confident in the value of ABC and ESPN, believed YouTube TV would eventually pay what it was asking.
The timing also mattered. The dispute happened during the holiday season and into the new year, when sports and entertainment viewing peaks. Losing ESPN during football season and ABC during the holidays was painful for YouTube TV subscribers, which put pressure on YouTube TV to settle—but not enough pressure to accept Disney's full asking price when ready.
Public complaints from subscribers did not move either side. Both YouTube TV and Disney released statements blaming the other, and both knew that some subscribers would switch services temporarily or permanently. Disney was willing to accept that loss because it wanted to establish a higher price floor for all future negotiations with streaming services.
What YouTube TV subscribers could do during the blackout
When ABC and ESPN disappeared from YouTube TV on December 31, 2022, subscribers had a few options. Some switched to Hulu Live or another streaming service that still carried Disney channels. Others went back to cable or used an antenna to watch ABC broadcasts over the air. A smaller number straightforward accepted the loss and stopped watching those channels.
YouTube TV offered a small credit to subscribers during the blackout, though it was far less than the value of the missing channels. The credit was a gesture, not compensation—YouTube TV was not obligated to refund subscribers for channels it could no longer carry, because the contract dispute was beyond its control.
Some subscribers used the blackout as a reason to cancel YouTube TV altogether. Once they switched to another service or went back to cable, many did not switch back even after the channels returned. This is a real cost to YouTube TV in these disputes—not just the money it loses during the blackout, but the subscribers it loses permanently.
The deal that brought ABC back to YouTube TV
YouTube TV and Disney reached a new carriage agreement on March 9, 2023, and ABC, ESPN, and the other Disney channels returned to YouTube TV that same day. The terms of the deal were not made public, but industry observers believed YouTube TV agreed to pay Disney more per subscriber than it had been paying before the dispute.
The return of the channels was not automatic. YouTube TV subscribers had to do nothing—the channels straightforward reappeared in their channel lists. But the deal came at a cost: YouTube TV raised its monthly subscription price by $13 in April 2023, partly to cover the higher fees it was now paying Disney.
This is how these disputes usually end. The broadcaster and the streaming service eventually find a price they can both live with, the channels come back, and the streaming service raises its price to pass the cost along to subscribers. Subscribers end up paying more, but they get their channels back.
Why these disputes keep happening in streaming
Carriage disputes are not new. Cable companies and broadcasters have fought over fees for decades. But streaming has made these fights more visible and more painful for consumers because streaming services carry fewer channels than cable does. When you lose ESPN on cable, you still have 200 other channels. When you lose ESPN on YouTube TV, you lose one of the few sports options available.
Broadcasters like Disney have strong incentive to demand higher fees from streaming services. Traditional cable is shrinking—fewer people are subscribing to cable each year—so broadcasters need to make more money from streaming to replace the cable revenue they are losing. Streaming services, meanwhile, want to keep prices low to compete with each other and attract subscribers.
This tension will not go away. As long as streaming services do not own the channels they carry, they will have to negotiate carriage agreements. And as long as those agreements expire, there will be disputes. Some will be resolved quickly; others, like the YouTube TV and Disney fight, will drag on and leave subscribers without channels they expect to have.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I watch ABC on YouTube TV now?
Yes. ABC returned to YouTube TV on March 9, 2023, after YouTube TV and Disney reached a new carriage agreement. You should see ABC in your channel list if you are a YouTube TV subscriber. If you do not see it, check that your account is current and that you have not filtered out the channel.
Will this happen again with other channels?
Yes. Carriage disputes happen regularly on YouTube TV and other streaming services. Channels may go dark for days or weeks while negotiations happen. The most common disputes involve sports networks and premium cable channels, which cost more to carry. You can check YouTube TV's status page or news sites to learn about ongoing disputes.
Why did YouTube TV not just pay Disney what it wanted?
YouTube TV has to balance the cost of carrying channels against the price it charges subscribers. If YouTube TV paid every broadcaster's asking price, it would have to charge subscribers much more per month. YouTube TV chose to negotiate hard with Disney because it believed the price Disney was asking was too high relative to what other services pay.
Did I get a refund for the missing channels?
YouTube TV offered a small credit to some subscribers during the blackout, but it was not a full refund. YouTube TV is not obligated to refund subscribers when channels are removed due to carriage disputes, because the removal is not YouTube TV's fault. The credit was a gesture of goodwill, not a legal requirement.
What channels did YouTube TV lose besides ABC?
YouTube TV lost ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, FX, FXX, FXM, National Geographic, National Geographic Wild, Nat Geo MUNDO, and several other Disney-owned channels. The loss included most of Disney's sports and entertainment portfolio. All of these channels returned on March 9, 2023, when the new deal was reached.