

According to Variety, for the past few days, Disney and its owned channels have been blacked out, and viewers are upset. 24 percent report having either already cancelled their subscription or are about to.
Variety says Disney’s programs stopped airing on YouTube TV around midnight on October 30th. The alleged reason is due to Disney asking for an increase in fees for their channels that is outside a reasonable range. However, Disney says YouTube TV was “refusing to pay fair rates for our channels”.
People who subscribe to YouTube TV have been growing more irritated the longer the blackout lasts. They have missed certain weekly programming, such as Saturday’s football on ESPN and Monday Night Football, Variety says.
A survey was conducted, and when people who subscribe to YouTube TV were asked about what their plans are regarding YouTube TV, 24% mentioned that they either have already cancelled their subscription or are planning to. Most said the reason is that the platform “no longer delivers the core content they signed up for”. The survey in question included around 1,1oo people, conducted by Drive Research, a market research firm, according to Variety.
On top of the responses given, 30% of YouTube TV subscribers reported that they plan to directly sign up for ESPN Unlimited or Hulu with Live TV to continue watching programs they want to watch. Approximately 22% reported that they use or will start using another person’s login information to access ESPN or Hulu with Live TV. Lastly, 15% mentioned they have used or would be open to using an illegal streaming platform, according to Variety.
Variety mentions that if Disney isn’t returning to YouTube TV, YouTube TV’s revenue can expect to drop significantly. 82% of the survey takers have reported that they are “likely” to stop renewing their membership if the issue isn’t solved soon (although an exact time frame wasn’t given).
