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Disney, YouTube TV Strike Deal to End Carriage Dispute

The two-week fight cost millions of viewers a slew of sports, and dented both companies' public images.

Patrick Andres

Disney and YouTube TV's closely watched dispute has come to an end.
Disney and YouTube TV's closely watched dispute has come to an end. / Jefferson Graham, USA TODAY via Imagn Content Services, LLC

American sports fans’ long national nightmare is over.

Alphabet and Disney have struck a deal to end the latter company’s two-week absence from YouTube TV, according to a Friday evening report from Andrew Marchand of The Athletic.

Per Marchand, “the new deal will give YouTube TV subscribers access to ESPN’s new direct-to-consumer app as part of its service.”

Once finalized, the deal will end a bitter two-week carriage fight between the tech giant and entertainment conglomerate that is believed to have cost Disney in the neighborhood of $30 million per week.

The highly public dispute kept two weeks of college football and Monday Night Football from millions in the United States, and further galvanized public opinion against the increased fracturing of sports-media rights.

It appears the ESPN family of networks will return to YouTube TV immediately, which would render consumers will be able to watch three ranked vs. ranked college football matchups slated to air on the networks Saturday.

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Patrick Andres
PATRICK ANDRES

Patrick Andres is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in December 2022, having worked for The Blade, Athlon Sports, Fear the Sword and Diamond Digest. Andres has covered everything from zero-attendance Big Ten basketball to a seven-overtime college football game. He is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism with a double major in history .

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