This is after a fee dispute left millions of subscribers without access to United States (US) Election Day programming and major live sports events.
The full line-up of Disney channels, including ABC, ESPN, FX and National Geographic, will return to YouTube TV from Friday, the companies said in separate statements.
YouTube TV’s rapid growth as a pay-TV platform, combined with Google’s vast financial resources, gives it greater negotiating leverage with media companies and allows it to operate with less short-term financial pressure than traditional providers.
The service has been locked in negotiations and carriage disputes with major media firms that were threatening to pull their networks from the platform.
Walt Disney Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger said on Thursday his company had proposed a deal “equal to or better than what other large distributors have already agreed to,” referring to talks with YouTube TV over the dispute.
Prospects of a prolonged fight over the distribution of Walt Disney’s television networks had worried investors about the outlook for its already declining TV business.
Walt Disney missed quarterly revenue expectations as its cable TV weakness overshadowed strong growth in the company’s streaming and parks businesses.
–Reuters–
