At the end of October, Disney-owned channels went dark on YouTube TV when the two companies were unable to make a deal to keep the channels live on the platform. The blackout lasted for two weeks before a deal was made on November 14. That was too long for many subscribers, especially those who had to find a new way to watch Monday Night Football on ESPN, leading to a wave of service cancellations.
Some users are now posting on Reddit and social media, saying that they got an email invitation from YouTube TV, offering a $60 discount for one month if they restart their subscription, first reported by 9to5 Google. The massive 72% discount is the result of 1 in 4 subscribers reportedly canceling or considering canceling their subscription due to the blackout.
For those who didn’t cancel, YouTube TV offered a one-time $20 account credit as compensation for the ongoing loss of Disney-owned channels, which included ESPN, ABC, FX, National Geographic, Disney Channel, Freeform, and local ABC stations.
The blackout affected an estimated 10 million YouTube TV subscribers, including many who were unhappy about missing college sports, NFL games, and primetime TV like Dancing with the Stars until the channels and DVR recordings came back.
“We’re happy to share that we’ve reached an agreement with Disney that preserves the value of our service for our subscribers and future flexibility in our offers. Subscribers should see channels including ABC, ESPN and FX returning to their service over the course of the day, as well as any recordings that were previously in their Library. We apologize for the disruption and appreciate our subscribers’ patience as we negotiated on their behalf.” A YouTube spokesperson said in a statement to Cord Cutters News when the dispute ended.
If you canceled during the blackout, be sure to check your email to see if you got the offer from YouTube TV. If you’re a new subscriber, you can get $10 off per month for three months with an introductory offer when you sign up now.