ESPN and other Disney-owned channels will be returning to YouTube TV following a new agreement announced Friday. More than 20 channels went dark on YouTube TV on October 30th, but two weeks later — and after CEOs Bob Iger and Sundar Pichai reportedly got more involved — the companies have reached a deal.
As part of this new deal, ESPN’s “full lineup of sports” will be available to people who subscribe to the base YouTube TV plan by the end of next year, Variety reports.
“We’re happy to share that we’ve reached an agreement with Disney that preserves the value of our service for our subscribers and future flexibility in our offers,” YouTube says. “Subscribers should see channels including ABC, ESPN and FX returning to their service over the course of the day, as well as any recordings that were previously in their Library. We apologize for the disruption and appreciate our subscribers’ patience as we negotiated on their behalf.”
“This new agreement reflects our continued commitment to delivering exceptional entertainment and evolving with how audiences choose to watch,” Disney Entertainment co-chairmen Alan Bergman and Dana Walden and ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro said in a statement to Variety. “It recognizes the tremendous value of Disney’s programming and provides YouTube TV subscribers with more flexibility and choice. We are pleased that our networks have been restored in time for fans to enjoy the many great programming options this weekend, including college football.”
