Katarzyna Petru
What started as a local dispute in the United States has just hit viewers worldwide. Disney and Google cannot come to an agreement regarding the television channel deal – and it looks like the victims of this clash have become… movie fans.
Dispute over ESPN and Nat Geo, but global consequences
It all started with negotiations regarding the price for broadcasting Disney channels (including ESPN and National Geographic) as part of American YouTube TV. The agreement expired in October, and the channels were cut off a few days ago. Although the agreement itself concerned the US market, the situation quickly echoed around the world.
All Disney movies have disappeared from Google TV and YouTube
As reported by 9to5Google, all Disney movies available for purchase or rental have been removed from Google's digital shelves – both in the Google TV, Android TV, Google Play apps and YouTube. It is not yet known which side is behind 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 the screens like:
“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 assured – they are still working without any issues. The problem only affects new purchases and rentals. Instead, users are being suggested to watch the title on Disney+.
When will the movies be back?
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, other platforms remain – Amazon, Apple TV, Rakuten, or Fandango (Vudu).
At this moment, it seems that Disney is trying to leverage the situation to strengthen its Disney+ platform, while Google aims to cut licensing costs. Regardless of who wins this battle, the losers are the viewers who just wanted to watch a movie.
