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As we enter another football weekend, millions of YouTube TV subscribers will be looking for games elsewhere. A dispute with Disney has left them without access to Disney programming, including ESPN's college football. NPR's Tristan Plunkett reports.
TRISTAN PLUNKETT, BYLINE: There were signs of progress on a deal this week, but yesterday, Disney's CFO, Hugh Johnston, gave an update on CNBC. He had news that TV and sports fans did not want to hear.
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HUGH JOHNSTON: We're in the middle of negotiations right now. Things are live. They're happening. Obviously, we're - as we entered the year, we knew this was going to be a challenging battle. And we prepared ourselves for it, and we're ready to go as long as they want to.
PLUNKETT: This came a day after The Athletic reported the media powerhouses had made progress on a deal, but there were hang-ups on how much YouTube TV would pay for Disney's other networks, including FX and National Geographic. YouTube TV subscribers haven't had access to Disney programming for weeks, including popular shows like "Dancing With The Stars" and "Monday Night Football." Morgan Stanley analysts estimated that the lockout is costing Disney about $30 million a week. YouTube TV told its customers it was offering a $20 credit to help placate anger over the missing programming. It also noted its own negotiation efforts. Alphabet is the parent company of Google, which owns YouTube TV, and Google is a financial supporter of NPR. On Disney's earnings call yesterday, CEO Bob Iger said the company is working to close a deal but said it doesn't want to devalue Disney's programming.
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BOB IGER: It's also imperative that we make sure that we agree to a deal that reflects the value that we deliver, which both YouTube, by the way, and Alphabet have told us is greater than the value of any other provider.
PLUNKETT: It's not clear what the demands are for each side, and disputes like this aren't new, including for Disney. But this now marks the longest time it has withheld its content from a carrier. It also comes after ESPN launched its own direct-to-consumer streaming service earlier this year, charging customers $30 per month. NPR reached out to both YouTube and Disney for comment.
Tristan Plunkett, NPR News.
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