YouTube says open to deal with Disney to restore networks in US
(Reuters) -Google’s YouTube says it’s open to negotiating a fair deal Disney restoring the entertainment giant’s networks YouTubeTV The pay-TV service accused Disney of misrepresenting facts and seeking higher rates from rivals and its own smaller platforms.
Disney said Friday it was continuing talks with YouTube TV to bring back its networks and would be heading into “another sports-filled weekend without a deal.”
YouTube TV on Monday suggested restoring ABC and ESPN in response to Disney’s request to bring ABC back for Election Day coverage.
“Our team is ready to negotiate a fair deal in line with agreements they have made with other distributors, and we encourage Disney to come to the table and do what’s best for our mutual customers,” YouTube said in a statement to Reuters. he said.
YouTube says Disney is looking for a rate above Charter and DirecTV Pay for ABC networks. The video streaming service said it wasn’t looking for better prices as Disney claimed.
The dispute centers on carriage fees, the fees distributors pay per subscriber to carry broadcast and cable networks.
“YouTube TV continues to insist on receiving preferential below-market terms and offers few concessions,” Disney Entertainment co-chairmen Dana Walden and Alan Bergman and ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro wrote in a memo to employees Friday. he said.
Disney said it began the talks by offering YouTube TV “a deal that is generally less costly than the terms of our expiring license” and offered fair terms in line with deals reached by other distributors since last summer.
YouTube TV Pay-TV distributors, one of the largest U.S. TV channels, have been negotiating with media companies that have threatened to pull their networks from the platform this year.
Disney’s networks went dark on YouTube TV late last Thursday after talks failed to reach a licensing deal, the companies said in separate statements.
(Reporting by Juby Babu in Mexico City and Anhata Rooprai in Bengaluru; Editing by Tasim Zahid)
