In addition to opening a new tab to bring Disney’s networks back to its YouTube TV pay-TV service, Google’s YouTube stated that it is willing to negotiate a reasonable arrangement with Disney. However, it accused Disney of fabricating information and of charging higher prices than competitors and its own smaller platforms.
Disney announced on Friday that it is still in negotiations with YouTube TV to revive its networks, ahead of “another sports-packed weekend without an agreement in place.”
In response to Disney’s proposal to bring back ABC for Election Day programming, YouTube TV suggested on Monday that ABC and ESPN be brought back.
“Our team stands ready to make an arrangement that is in line with their deals with other licensors, and we encourage Disney to get to the table and do what’s best for our common customers,” YouTube told Reuters in a statement.
Read: Google Cloud Boosts Arm Efficiency with New Axion N4A Chip
YouTube and Disney Clash Over Pricing and Terms
Disney is requesting a premium higher than what Charter and DirecTV pay for the ABC networks, according to YouTube. Contrary to Disney’s claims, the video streaming service stated that it is not seeking lower prices.
The per-subscriber rates distributors pay to carry television and cable networks are at the heart of the controversy.
In a note to staff on Friday, ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro and Disney Entertainment co-chairs Dana Walden and Alan Bergman stated, “YouTube TV continues to insist on getting preferential terms that are below market and has made few concessions.”
Disney claimed to have started negotiations by presenting YouTube TV with a “deal that would cost less overall than the terms of our recently expired license,” and to have made reasonable offers consistent with deals made by other distributors since last summer.
Negotiations Continue as Disney Networks Go Dark on YouTube TV
This year, media companies that have threatened to remove their networks from YouTube TV, one of the largest pay-TV distributors in the United States, have entered negotiations.
After negotiations failed to result in a licensing agreement, Disney’s networks went black on YouTube TV late last Thursday, the firms announced in separate statements.