YouTube TV Denies Disney’s Request to Restore ABC for Election Day

YouTube TV rejected a request from Disney to temporarily restore ABC stations for today’s election, continuing a blackout impacting 10 million subscribers.

Disney had asked YouTube TV to restore ABC access specifically for Election Day, arguing it was a matter of “public interest” to ensure viewers had access to crucial news coverage. “Despite the impasse that led to the current blackout, we have asked YouTube TV to restore ABC for Election Day so subscribers have access to the information they rely on,” a Disney spokesperson said in a statement. YouTube TV countered that a temporary restoration would cause “customer confusion” as the channel would again disappear shortly after, and pointed to alternative sources of election news.

The dispute, which began Thursday night, has already resulted in the loss of access to ABC, ESPN, and other Disney networks, disrupting college football games and threatening coverage of Monday Night Football. YouTube TV noted that ABC News has 19.1 million subscribers on YouTube itself, and ABC News Live is available on Hulu. “There are plenty of other options for customers – election news information is very widely available across other broadcast stations and news networks on YouTube TV, as well as on the main YouTube service, for free,” the company stated in a blog post. This blackout comes as cord-cutting continues to reshape the television landscape.

This is not the first time Disney has sought a temporary restoration during a carriage dispute; a similar request was denied by DirecTV during a debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. YouTube TV stated they continue to work toward a fair agreement with Disney, but no new negotiations are currently scheduled.