One thing streaming doesn’t have in common with cable is the constant back and forth with media corporations that leaves users without entire channels, and even recordings. The latest negotiation tactic between YouTube TV and Disney has left us wondering: do people want to stay on board or cancel?
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YouTube TV is currently in a contract negotiation with Disney. It’s the latest in a string of recent ticking contract expirations that have resulted in some tense waters. Neither Disney nor YouTube TV wants to end the agreement to host over 20 major channels on the massive app, but each wants favorable terms to ultimately make more profit going forward.
From YouTube TV’s perspective, the streamer has grown so much that previous terms agreed on in the contract are no longer acceptable, or so a recent report suggests. Because neither side wants to give in, Disney’s channels were removed from YouTube TV on October 30.
Whether ESPN, ABC, and other Disney-owned channels come back is between the two corporations, and not something that users have a say in. If an extended period of time passes before Disney gives in, according to YouTube TV, users will get a $20 credit in compensation.
Is a $20 credit enough?
YouTube TV and Disney are doing what major broadcasting companies do, and a lot of users are being affected because of it. In the days of cable and satellite TV, channels often didn’t drop out of contract renewals because of the grip TV providers had on networks, no matter how major they were.
Now, streaming is in every company’s playbook, and if YouTube TV drops Disney, the Disney+ app is right there to offer its services – even if prices continue to rise.
So that leaves the end user – the one losing Disney channels from their $82.99/month subscription – with a choice: stay on and get $20 credit in compensation, or cancel YouTube TV. Leaving would mean finding another service, of which there are a few. Still, YouTube TV has been one of the best to come from cord-cutting, even at its high price.
Staying on would mean the possibility of seeing Disney channels rejoin, though there’s no promise that this won’t happen again. YouTube TV just made headlines for a separate situation with NBC, in which the company was able to reach an agreement in time.
On the other hand, if YouTube TV caves, it could signal a future price increase once more.
Again, this is what the current landscape of broadcasting corporations looks like, at the expense of the end-user.
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