Disney Executives Say YouTube TV Negotiations are Still Ongoing

Copyright wdwnt.com

Team, We promised to keep you updated on our negotiations with Google’s YouTube TV following their decision last week to pull our channels from their service, and we are writing today with the latest. We realize this has been a challenging week, with everyone asking the same question as millions of YouTube TV subscribers during the busiest time of the year in sports: When will ESPN and ABC be back on the service? We wish we could give you that answer today, but unfortunately, we are headed into another sports-packed weekend without a deal in place. We know you’ve seen a swirl of information about the impasse, so we wanted to share some of the facts: We began these negotiations by offering YouTube TV a deal that would cost less overall than the terms of our recently expired license. That’s real savings that YouTube TV could pass along to its customers. We’ve offered innovative, bespoke programming packages—tailored to sports fans, entertainment fans, kids and families—that would provide tremendous flexibility for YouTube TV and greater choice and value for its customers. We’ve offered fair terms that are in-line with the more than 500 other distributors that have renewed their agreements since last summer, including the top distributors, who are far larger than YouTube TV. Despite all this, YouTube TV continues to insist on receiving preferential terms that are below market and has made few concessions. Rather than compete on a level playing field, Google’s YouTube TV has approached these negotiations as if it were the only player in the game. It goes without saying that the reason so many consumers value our programming above others is because we invest in the best talent, creators and content in the world, and we cannot allow anyone to undercut our ability to do so. We know how difficult this situation is for the YouTube TV customers we serve, and for all of you who provide the sports programming, entertainment, news and live events that our fans know and love. Thank you for the incredible work you do each and every day and for staying focused on maintaining such a high bar throughout this difficult situation. We will continue to work diligently to find common ground with YouTube TV and will keep you informed as we have more news to share.