ESPN, ABC, other Disney channels vanish from YouTube TV, including recordings

Ben Schoon | Oct 30 2025 - 9:03 pm PT

YouTube TV customers have lost access to ABC, ESPN, and other Disney-owned channels this evening as a contract between Google and Disney failed to reach a renewal in negotiations, and it results in over 20 channels going dark.

In recent months, YouTube TV has seen some of its major broadcast partners reach their contract renewals, and it’s led to heated negotiations and last-minute deals for names such as Fox and NBC. But in its latest battle with Disney, YouTube TV has failed to reach a new deal and, as a result, 21 major channels have disappeared from the service.

As of October 30 at around 11pm ET/8pm PT, Disney channels went dark on YouTube TV for all customers. This includes not only the channels listed below, but also any recordings or on-demand content customers had saved to their library.

The list of affected channels includes:

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ABC
ESPN
ESPN2
Freeform
FX
FXX
Disney Junior
SEC Network
Nat Geo
Nat Geo Wild
Disney Channel
ESPNU
FXM
ABC News Live
ACC Network
Disney XD
Localish
ESPNews
ESPN Deportes (Spanish Plan)
Baby TV Español (Spanish Plan)
Nat Geo Mundo (Spanish Plan)

On a support page, Google explains that it will “not agree to terms that disadvantage our members while benefitting Disney’s own live TV products.” Google adds that if Disney channels remain unavailable “for an extended period of time,” customers will receive a $20 credit to compensate for the removal.

As of October 30, 2025, our agreement with Disney has expired, and their content is not currently available on YouTube TV. Each time we renew our contracts with network partners, we advocate for fair pricing and greater flexibility to offer our subscribers the best possible live TV experience. Our current agreement with Disney has approached its renewal date, and we will not agree to terms that disadvantage our members while benefiting Disney’s own live TV products.

It’s our goal to restore Disney content to YouTube TV, but if we can’t reach an agreement and their content is unavailable for an extended period of time, we’ll offer our subscribers a $20 credit. You can continue to watch Disney’s sports programming by signing up for ESPN directly.

As for recordings, Google adds that if a new deal with Disney is reached, YouTube TV customers will automatically get their prior recordings back.

It’s unclear when, if at all, Disney and YouTube TV will reach a new deal. A report earlier today revealed that Google was looking for better prices for content, as well as a shorter contract than the industry standard. Disney is notably the owner and operator of Hulu + Live TV, too, meaning there’s a bit less to lose if a YouTube TV deal isn’t struck.