Just over two months after flirting with the loss of NBC’s various channels, YouTube TV is warning subscribers they could lose ESPN and ABC right before the climax of the football season.
YouTube TV informed its subscribers Monday that it is in negotiations with Disney to renew a deal that expires this coming Friday and that in lieu of a deal, Disney’s suite of channels will no longer be available on the service as of that date. YouTube TV would reduce its price from $65 to $50 per month in the event that occurs.
In its own statement, Disney said it is “optimistic” about reaching a deal.
This is the second time in just over two months that YouTube TV has set a date for pulling a number of broadcast and cable channels that regularly carry sports. The company planned to pull the NBC family of networks when its contract lapsed October 1 — just days before NBC carried Tom Brady’s return to New England — until a last-minute extension allowed the sides to reach a deal.
According to a Disney annual report filed last month, ESPN is now in 76 million homes — down about 25 million from the peak in 2011 and down about eight million from the end of last year. That figure includes YouTube TV and other over-the-top streaming services.
[News from YouTube TV 12.13, The Streamable 12.13, Deadline 11.24]
