Disney is disappearing from Google Movies worldwide. The conflict over TV channels is escalating!

What started as a local dispute in the United States has now hit viewers worldwide. Disney and Google cannot reach an agreement over a deal regarding TV channels – and it seems that the victims of this clash have become… movie fans.

Dispute over ESPN and Nat Geo, but global consequences

It all started with negotiations over the price for broadcasting Disney channels (including ESPN and National Geographic) on American YouTube TV. The contract expired in October, and the channels were cut off a few days ago. Although the agreement itself was related to the US market, the situation quickly echoed around the world.

All Disney movies have disappeared from Google TV and YouTube

According to 9to5Google, all Disney movies available for purchase or rental have been removed from Google's digital shelves – in both the Google TV, Android TV, Google Play apps and YouTube. It is not yet known which side is responsible for this decision. This issue is not limited to the USA – users in Europe are also encountering errors when trying to watch movies from universes such as Star Wars, Marvel, Pixar, Alien, or Planet of the Apes. The Disney and Fox sections in the Google Store are now completely empty.

Messages appear on screens saying:

“This video contains content from DisneyROW. It is not available.”

or

“This video contains content from Fox. It is not available.”

Good news: your movies are still working

If you previously purchased Disney movies on Google Movies, you can rest easy – they still work perfectly. The issue concerns only new purchases and rentals. In their place, users are being prompted to watch the title on Disney+.

When will the movies return?

According to The Wall Street Journal, talks between the giants are ongoing, but an agreement is still far off. Google is reportedly pushing for lower prices and shorter contracts, as YouTube TV grows at the expense of traditional cable and satellite platforms.

For now, if you want to buy or rent Disney movies, there are other platforms available – Amazon, Apple TV, Rakuten or Fandango (Vudu).

At this moment, it seems that Disney is trying to capitalise on the situation to bolster its platform Disney+, while Google aims to reduce licensing costs. Regardless of who wins this battle, the losers are the viewers who just wanted to watch a movie.