Disney is urging YouTube TV to restore its broadcast channels on the streamer ahead of Election Day on Tuesday.
“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,” the media and entertainment giant said Monday in a statement. “We believe in putting the public interest first and hope YouTube TV will take this small step for their customers while we continue to work toward a fair agreement.”
Disney-owned channels including ABC, ESPN and others have been blacked out on YouTube TV, the popular Google-owned streamer that carries an estimated more than 10 million subscribers.
Sports fans have expressed outrage over the blackout, which kept major college football games off the service and threatens to extend into a second week as the two sides fail to reach an agreement on carrier fees.
YouTube TV said in its most recent statement said it was “advocating for fair pricing” to offer its customers “the best TV experience.”
“Our contract with Disney has reached its renewal date, and we’ll not agree to terms that disadvantage our members while benefiting Disney’s TV products,” the tech company said. “We know how disruptive it is to lose channels you enjoy, and we’re committed to continuing to work with Disney to reach an agreement.”
ABC, like each of the major broadcast networks is, planning expansive coverage of Tuesday’s elections, including several hotly contested races for governor in New Jersey and Virginia and New York City’s mayor.
The standoff is being widely seen as a major test of consumer appetite for Disney’s direct-to-consumer streaming apps, including ESPN+, Hulu and Disney+.
YouTubeTV late on Monday published a letter the company said it sent to Disney leadership arguing that restoring Disney’s ABC stations on its service only for a day would “cause customer confusion among those who may briefly see ABC on YouTube TV only to lose it again shortly after.”
“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,” YouTube said in its letter.
“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,” the company said. “If you agree with our proposal and give us approval, we can get our operational teams together and get these channels live in hours. Let us know how you’d like to proceed.”
Updated: 7:25 p.m.