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Disney pulls ABC, ESPN, more from YouTube TV

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Disney dropped from YouTube TV FILE PHOTO: Disney has pulled its streaming channels from YouTube TV. (Proxima Studio - stock.adobe.com)

If you subscribe to YouTube TV and plan to watch some Disney, ABC or ESPN programming, you are out of luck.

The subscription version of YouTube said Disney had threatened to pull its channels while the two companies negotiate their contract, The Associated Press reported.

Among the channels that are currently inaccessible are Disney, ABC, ESPN, FX and Nat Geo. More than 20 channels were taken off YouTube TV, CNBC reported.

“We know this is a frustrating and disappointing outcome for our subscribers and we continue to urge Disney to work with us constructively to reach a fair agreement that restores their networks to YouTube TV,” YouTube said, according to AP.

YouTube TV, according to the AP, is the largest internet TV provider with more than 9 million subscribers.

Hulu is next with about half as many. Hulu is owned by Disney.

YouTube TV said it will give subscribers a $20 credit if Disney is not available “for an extended period of time.” The base price for YouTube TV is $82.99 a month.

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We will not agree to terms that disadvantage our members while benefiting Disney’s own live TV products,” YouTube TV said on its help center.

Disney did not provide AP with a statement by Friday morning. But the company did release a statement to The New York Times, saying that Google, the owner of YouTube, was using its dominance to reject similar agreements that Disney made with other distributors.

The Mouse House has asked YouTube for more money to allow the streaming platform to air its channels, The New York Times reported. YouTube said that the increase in fees it pays to Disney would result in higher costs for subscribers.

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