Disney vs. YouTube TV: A Fight That’s Expanding Beyond the Usual Scope
The fight between Disney and youtube TV might seem fairly commonplace on the surface, especially if you’ve followed any carriage disputes in the pre-streaming era. But despite Google’s cable replacement showing no signs of slowing down its growth, the stalemate between it and the House of Mouse has already expanded well beyond its usual scope, without any signs of peace coming any time soon.
Carriage disputes are nothing new, and usually, they follow the same pattern of events. As any contract nears its end, both network owners and cable providers come to the table to renegotiate their respective terms. Typically, this goes off without a hitch, but if the two companies can’t come to a resolution, it’s the viewers who end up missing out on their regularly-scheduled programming. Eventually, without fail, the two mega-behemoth corporations who started the fight agree to a fresh set of terms, channels are restored to their usual state, and if they’re lucky, customers are paid a small – practically ceremonial in stature – credit to make up for the interruption in service. And the Earth keeps spinning.
Google and Disney’s fight might’ve started out on that same track, right down to that promised apology credit should this whole thing stretch on long enough. But since channels like ABC and ESPN left YouTube TV’s virtual airwaves on October 31st, we’ve already seen some unexpected consequences affecting people who might not even know what YouTube TV is.
On the cable TV side, we’ve already seen the typical effects spiraling out from Disney’s blackout. A primetime college football game on Saturday,November 1st dipped from its season average,as did the Monday Night Football broadcast between the Arizona Cardinals and the Dallas Cowboys. Not a sports fan, but still enjoy live TV? Dancing Wiht the Stars has hit a ratings rebound this season, but without ABC available for YouTube TV subscribers, the show saw its six-week streak of audience growth – a first in 34 years, according to The Hollywood Reporter – end, perhaps prematurely. Fans instead had to turn to Disney+ to watch Andy Richter’s continued success on the dance floor.
YouTube TV, simultaneously occurring, is facing public polling – that, naturally, Google disagrees with – showing nearly a quarter of its customers would plan to cancel their subscription should ABC and other Disney channels not return to the airwaves. considering the extremely high price of such a service,those opinions shouldn’t come as much of a surprise.
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YouTube TV’s Changes Highlight a Growing Problem: Digital ownership is an Illusion
YouTube TV recently announced a significant change to its service: the removal of the ability to sync purchases made through Google’s storefronts – movies and shows – with the streaming service. This means that content bought on Google Play Movies & TV will no longer be accessible within YouTube TV. While seemingly isolated to YouTube TV subscribers,this shift underscores a larger,unsettling trend in the digital landscape: the illusion of ownership.
For years, consumers have been led to believe that purchasing digital content grants them a degree of ownership. However, this is increasingly revealed to be a license to *access* content, contingent on the continued cooperation of the platform providing that access. YouTube TV’s decision is a stark reminder of this reality. Your digital library isn’t truly yours; it’s leased from Google,and Google can revoke that lease at any time.
The implications extend beyond YouTube TV. As The Verge points out, this change means that content purchased through Google’s storefronts will no longer sync with your Google account, and anything purchased through Google’s storefronts – which, again, will be non-Disney content – won’t make it into, say, your Prime account. It’s a massive splintering of digital libraries for Google users, and it’s one that impacts way more than just YouTube TV subscribers.
