Katarzyna Petru
What started as a local dispute in the United States has just struck viewers around the world. Disney and Google cannot come to an agreement regarding the television channels deal - 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) as part of American YouTube TV. The contract expired in October, and the channels were cut off a few days ago. Although the agreement itself concerned the US market, the situation quickly reverberated around the world.
All Disney films have disappeared from Google TV and YouTube
According to 9to5Google, all Disney films available for purchase or rental have been removed from Google's digital shelves – both in the Google TV, Android TV, Google Play, and YouTube apps. It is still unclear which side is behind this decision. This issue affects not only the USA – users in Europe are also encountering errors when trying to watch films 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 such as:
“This video contains content from DisneyROW. It is not available.”
or
“This video contains content from Fox. It is not available.”
Good news: your films are still working
If you previously purchased Disney films on Google Movies, you can rest easy – they still work without any issues. The problem only concerns new purchases and rentals. Instead, users are suggested to watch the given title on Disney+.
When will the films return?
According to The Wall Street Journal, talks between the giants are ongoing, but an agreement is still a long way off. Google is reportedly pushing for lower prices and shorter contracts, as YouTube TV is growing at the expense of traditional cable and satellite platforms.
For now, if you want to buy or rent Disney films, there are other platforms available – Amazon, Apple TV, Rakuten, or Fandango (Vudu).
At this point, it appears that Disney is trying to leverage the situation to strengthen its platform Disney+, while Google is looking to reduce licensing costs. Regardless of who wins this battle, the losers are the viewers who simply wanted to watch a film.
