After repeated warnings, ESPN vanished from YouTube TV in the middle of a live NBA game Friday night. Contract negotiations between Google (owner of YouTube) and Disney (ESPN’s owner) broke down, forcing the channels to be removed. All Disney-owned channels suddenly switched to a blue screen at Midnight EST, in the midst of a nationally-televised Lakers/Wolves game.
Besides Disney’s and ESPN’s branded channels, subscribers also lost channels from FX, NatGeo, Freeform, and the SEC and ACC. Their local ABC network affiliate (KATU in Portland) was also removed. YouTube TV dropped their monthly fee from $64.