The carriage dispute between Disney and YouTube TV is nearing its two-week mark, with both sides losing revenue. The blackout has impacted Monday Night Football ratings, with a 21% hit on the November 3 game between the Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals.
Disney stands to lose around $60 million over the 14-day period, but it can’t afford to sacrifice too much from its legacy pay-TV operation. Analysts predict Disney’s earnings won’t reflect any financial hit from the dispute, but executives will likely offer comments on the situation.
The conventional wisdom is that YouTube needs Disney more than Disney needs YouTube. Alphabet’s market value of over $3 trillion makes it less affected by variations in YouTube TV’s business. However, YouTube CEO Neal Mohan has aggressively pursued sports rights and bundled them with YouTube TV at a discounted rate.
Disney could potentially chart a path forward without YouTube TV, but it would require significant investments in alternative platforms like ESPN’s Unlimited service and Fubo. A 20% increase in YouTube TV prices may have led to a loss of around 500,000 subscribers, but many returned for the football season.
The dispute has also led to promotions for Disney’s ESPN app and Fubo’s new services, which could help attract customers away from YouTube TV. With this context, it remains to be seen how both parties will navigate the situation and what the outcome may be.
Source: https://deadline.com/2025/11/disney-youtube-tv-blackout-each-side-losing-1236614462