Retransmission Consent squabbles

[AmericanErrorist 267]

Disney is suing Sling over its Day Pass plan, which Disney says offered their channels without informing them:

 

https://deadline.com/2025/08/disney-sues-sling-tv-mini-bundles-violate-carriage-deal-terms-1236498333/

[AmericanErrorist 267]

On 8/25/2025 at 3:06 PM, MD TV said:

Fox and it's cable neworks could go dark on YoutubeTV at 5pm on Wednesday. Just in time for the start of college football season (including Texas vs. Ohio State):

 

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/fox-fox-news-may-be-pulled-from-youtube-tv-in-carriage-dispute-1236353110/

YouTube and Fox have reached a short-term extension (after a statement of support for Fox from Brendan Carr) , signaling that a new carriage deal is near:

 

https://deadline.com/2025/08/fox-youtube-tv-set-short-term-extension-carriage-renewal-1236499379/

Edited August 28, 2025 by AmericanErrorist

[AmericanErrorist 267]

Fox and YouTube reached a new deal back on August 28.

 

TelevisaUnivision's current deal with YTTV expires on September 30th, and the relevant channels are in danger of being moved to the Spanish-only tier:

 

https://deadline.com/2025/09/youtube-tv-carriage-dirpute-televisaunivision-spanish-language-pay-tv-1236513583/

 

Warner Bros. Discovery is also suing Sling over their channels' inclusion on Day Pass:

 

https://deadline.com/2025/09/warner-sues-sling-tv-limited-passes-breach-of-contract-1236513823/

Edited September 10, 2025 by AmericanErrorist

[J.W. Rodriguez 28]

Well YouTube is now involved in another retrans dispute, this time with NBCUniversal.

 

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/09/25/youtube-tv-nbcuniversal-impending-carriage-dispute.html

[civic110 20]

Optimum has quietly dropped NBA TV, as the two sides allowed the programming contract to expire.

[NowBergen 924]

1 hour ago, civic110 said:

Optimum has quietly dropped NBA TV, as the two sides allowed the programming contract to expire.

The sooner Altice USA sells, the better.  Service is crap. Channels keep getting dropped or moved to an add on tier mostly with stations nobody wants.  Stream box sucks. 

[mre29 1967]

12 minutes ago, NowBergen said:

The sooner Altice USA sells, the better.  Service is crap. Channels keep getting dropped or moved to an add on tier mostly with stations nobody wants.  Stream box sucks. 

 

Optimum has a streaming box, too?

 

[NowBergen 924]

5 minutes ago, mre29 said:

 

Optimum has a streaming box, too?

 

Cheap google play box.  I have to reset it every two days - audio and video go out of synch.  Also a big delay from my other Altice One boxes which have far more capabilities. 

[AmericanErrorist 267]

On 9/25/2025 at 9:25 PM, J.W. Rodriguez said:

Well YouTube is now involved in another retrans dispute, this time with NBCUniversal.

 

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/09/25/youtube-tv-nbcuniversal-impending-carriage-dispute.html

The two sides have reached a short-term extension:

 

https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/nbcu-youtube-tv-deal-extension-avert-blackout-1236535142/

 

Meanwhile, TelevisaUnivision's channels have gone dark on YTTV:

 

https://deadline.com/2025/09/televisaunivision-networks-go-dark-youtube-tv-carriage-dispute-1236567058/

 

[NowBergen 924]

19 hours ago, AmericanErrorist said:

The two sides have reached a short-term extension:

 

https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/nbcu-youtube-tv-deal-extension-avert-blackout-1236535142/

 

Meanwhile, TelevisaUnivision's channels have gone dark on YTTV:

 

https://deadline.com/2025/09/televisaunivision-networks-go-dark-youtube-tv-carriage-dispute-1236567058/

 

NBCU and YouTube have agreed to a long term deal.

[MD TV 389]

Also, YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV dropped DC's Monumental Sports Network (home of the Caps, Wiz and Mystics). I'm not surprised since after NBC sold the channelto Ted Leonsis it was living on borrowed time on those services.

 

Up next at the end of the month for YouTube TV is a renewal with Disney. And that's probably not gonna be pretty, with Disney demanding access to ESPN Unlimited and all.

[AaronQ 309]

2 hours ago, NowBergen said:

NBCU and YouTube have agreed to a long term deal.

And the big takeaway is that NBCSN is gonna be back. 

[Glimmer 340]

2 minutes ago, AaronQ said:

And the big takeaway is that NBCSN is gonna be back. 

Largely as a Peacock simulcast channel but still a big deal 

[J.W. Rodriguez 28]

Another dispute involving YouTube TV, this time involving Disney-owned networks.

https://nypost.com/2025/10/24/business/espn-abc-risk-going-dark-on-youtube-tv-as-disney-contract-fight-heats-up/

[tyrannical bastard 4676]

And for the second time, Disney has pulled their networks from YouTube TV at the stroke of midnight on October 31st.

 

And this time, YouTube TV is only offering a $20 credit if the outage is "for an extended period"

https://deadline.com/2025/10/abc-espn-disney-blackout-youtube-tv-1236603216/

[tyrannical bastard 4676]

5 days in, and still no agreement in sight between Disney and YouTubeTV.  Even the idea of getting a $20 credit seems elusive at this point.

 

Bottom line, there needs to be transparency on what these channels cost. 

If a lapse happens, customers need to be compensated fairly for the lack of access they're paying for,

If the channels are yanked permanently, the service cost should be adjusted to compensate.

 

Since ESPN is the largest cost out of a pay TV bundle, if a customer is paying for it, they need to keep receiving it, or be refunded the difference.

[GodfreyGR 812]

Disney did ask for ABC to be restored for a 24-Hour period with election results while they still try to hammer out a deal. YTTV's response was pretty good.

 

https://blog.youtube/news-and-events/our-response-to-disneys-request-to-restore-abc/

[tyrannical bastard 4676]

Here we are into the second week, and while both parties seem to be in agreement over ESPN, the sticking point is.....ABC.

https://awfulannouncing.com/disney/youtube-tv-dispute-over-abc-not-espn.html

 

Unless they're factoring in the sporting events Disney is porting over to them after squandering ABC for over 15 years, ABC seems to be an overvalued asset in it's current state.

To be honest, I don't see ABC remaining a broadcast network much longer, and if they do, it's going to be a greatly diminished one with watered-down content for broadcast viewers with the bulk of content being available exclusively to Disney subscribers.

WPLG dumping them was the first blow.  Next year, negotiations could get ugly as they try and renew with the big groups like Sinclair and Nexstar, especially after the standoff they had earlier over pulling Jimmy Kimmel.

Edited November 12, 2025 by tyrannical bastard

[MD TV 389]

The Disney-Youtube TV dispute is over:

 

https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/youtube-tv-disney-blackout-deal-renewal-espn-abc-1236567658/

 

 ESPN Unlimited will be available to subscribers, with no channels permanently removed.

[TVLurker 389]

2 hours ago, MD TV said:

 

 

ESPN Unlimited will be available to subscribers, with no channels permanently removed.

Third-party YouTube TV subscriber here and I do not understand why Disney won't bundle it with their usual services. Is that service alone really worth the money they're offering for it?

[MD TV 389]

All NBCUniversal channels were dropped from Fubo today. This includes the future Versant channels:

 

https://support.fubo.tv/hc/en-us/articles/38725620590733-What-Happened-to-NBCUniversal-Networks-on-Fubo

Edited November 21, 2025 by MD TV

[l_miro 245]

On 11/12/2025 at 3:48 PM, tyrannical bastard said:

Here we are into the second week, and while both parties seem to be in agreement over ESPN, the sticking point is.....ABC.

https://awfulannouncing.com/disney/youtube-tv-dispute-over-abc-not-espn.html

 

Unless they're factoring in the sporting events Disney is porting over to them after squandering ABC for over 15 years, ABC seems to be an overvalued asset in it's current state.

To be honest, I don't see ABC remaining a broadcast network much longer, and if they do, it's going to be a greatly diminished one with watered-down content for broadcast viewers with the bulk of content being available exclusively to Disney subscribers.

WPLG dumping them was the first blow.  Next year, negotiations could get ugly as they try and renew with the big groups like Sinclair and Nexstar, especially after the standoff they had earlier over pulling Jimmy Kimmel.

 

an fyi, WPLG didn't dump ABC. ABC went to WSVN in August 2024 and asked if they'd put them on 7.2 - per WSVN CEO. ABC stopped talking to WPLG allegedly, according to WPLG GM Bert Medina

 

 

[AmericanErrorist 267]

On 11/21/2025 at 2:38 PM, MD TV said:

All NBCUniversal channels were dropped from Fubo today. This includes the future Versant channels:

 

https://support.fubo.tv/hc/en-us/articles/38725620590733-What-Happened-to-NBCUniversal-Networks-on-Fubo

This one is interesting, because NBCU and Hulu + Live TV have come to terms, despite Fubo and Hulu + Live having the same ownership, while Fubo outright declares that the Versant channels are "not... worth the cost to Fubo subscribers" (NBCU is bundling those channels with theirs for at least the current retrans cycle).

 

https://deadline.com/2025/11/nbcuniversal-fubo-take-their-shots-amid-carriage-fight-1236628864/

 

11/26: TelevisaUnivision and YouTube TV have reached a new deal, ending the two-month long dispute.

Edited November 26, 2025 by AmericanErrorist

[kdex86 66]

Cox Media Group stations are off Verizon Fios.  This affects subscribers in Boston (Fox) and Pittsburgh (NBC):

https://triblive.com/aande/movies-tv/wpxi-taken-off-verizons-fios-tv-in-retransmission-spat/

 

Meanwhile, Mission Broadcasting stations could also go dark on Fios.  The current contract expires tomorrow (Dec 17).  This may potentially affect subscribers in Albany (Fox) and Providence (Fox and CW):

https://www.tvtechnology.com/news/atva-says-verizon-may-lose-mission-broadcasting-stations-in-retrans-dispute

[Yankees4life 599]

On 11/25/2025 at 10:50 PM, AmericanErrorist said:

This one is interesting, because NBCU and Hulu + Live TV have come to terms, despite Fubo and Hulu + Live having the same ownership, while Fubo outright declares that the Versant channels are "not... worth the cost to Fubo subscribers" (NBCU is bundling those channels with theirs for at least the current retrans cycle).

 

https://deadline.com/2025/11/nbcuniversal-fubo-take-their-shots-amid-carriage-fight-1236628864/

 

11/26: TelevisaUnivision and YouTube TV have reached a new deal, ending the two-month long dispute.

The left hand is in a different direction than the right hand...