In response to the entertainment behemoth’s previous request to reinstate ABC on the pay-TV platform for coverage of Election Day, YouTube TV has suggested reintroducing Disney’s ABC and ESPN networks. Days after its networks went black on the pay-TV platform, Disney earlier Monday requested that Google’s YouTube TV bring back ABC for Election Day coverage in the public interest. “Your proposal would permit us to return Disney’s ABC stations only for a day and will cause customer confusion among those who may briefly see ABC on YouTube TV only to lose it again shortly after,” YouTube wrote on its site.
According to YouTube, ABC local stations can broadcast news on their YouTube pages, and Disney can keep doing so on the ABC News page. “To truly achieve what is best for our mutual customers, we propose immediately restoring the Disney channels that our customers watch: ABC and the ESPN networks, while we continue to negotiate. Those are the channels that people want,” stated YouTube. The businesses announced in separate statements late last Thursday that Disney’s networks went black on YouTube TV following the failure of discussions to establish a licensing agreement. This year, YouTube TV, one of the biggest pay-TV providers in the US, has been embroiled in a number of talks with companies that threaten to remove their media networks from the service.
