Looking for ESPN, Disney, or your local ABC station on YouTube TV? The streaming service removed the channels (yes, all of them) from the channel lineup on December 17th, 2021 at midnight.
The company announced earlier in the week if a deal was not reached YouTube TV would decrease the cost of the service by $15 per month while Disney channels are not available.
A total of 17 streaming channels were dropped including Disney Channel, ESPN, National Geographic, and Disney-owned ABC stations.
YouTube TV on Twitter Dec. 13, 2021:
Members, we’re working with Disney to continue carrying Disney-owned channels, including ESPN and your local ABC station. If we’re unable to reach a fair deal by 12/17/21, we’ll decrease our monthly price by $15 while content is off the platform.
The sudden removal left many sports fans at a loss, even during live games. One Twitter user posted:
YOU JUST SHUT DOWN ESPN WITH 4 MINUTES LEFT IN THE NORTH DAKOTA STATE VS JAMES MADISON FOOTBALL GAME? WTF?
Another Twitter user responded:
Drop ESPN and you’ll lose a lot of subscribers. I only subscribe to watch college sports, especially football American football, wherever I go and for less cost than traditional cable. $15 reduction in price does nothing for me.
Throwing a little bit of fuel on the fire, YouTube support services suggested subscribers sign up for Disney’s own streaming service.
Of course, Disney also offers a bundle with Disney+, ESPN, and Hulu for $13.99 per month, or with ad-free Hulu for an additional $6 per month.
Check out YouTube TV’s “Service Update” dated Dec. 17, 2021.
YouTube recently renewed a deal with Roku bringing back the YouTube TV app to Roku users as well as keeping the YouTube app available on the platform.
