Who Blinked? Googzilla or Dopey
December 20, 2021
I read “YouTube TV Drops Disney Owned Channels Including ESPN, Disney Channel, & ABC.” The Google, fresh from its negotiations with the super giant Roku, faced a more formidable negotiating team representing Disney capture team of Goofy and friends. Rumors that Darth Vader and Spiderman would participate in the discussions proved false. Dopey was not moved by Alphabet’s spelling out the realities of working with the online advertising behemoth. The write up reports one of Dopey’s assistants as saying:
We’ve been in ongoing negotiations with Google’s YouTube TV and unfortunately, they have declined to reach a fair deal with us based on market terms and conditions.
The online advertising giant’s representative, a former high school science club member, allegedly said:
We’ve held good faith negotiations with Disney for several months. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, we’ve been unable to reach an equitable agreement before our existing one expired, and their channels are no longer available on YouTube TV….We know this is frustrating news for our customers, and not what we wanted. We will continue conversations with Disney to advocate on your behalf in hopes of restoring their content on YouTube TV.
We have heard that Dopey rejected the Alphabet request for special access to the Lightning Lane and VIP parking.
Dopey was not available for comment. The write up includes this statement:
In September, YouTube TV had a similar dispute with NBCUniversal over carriage of their local affiliates and cable channels, but were able to reach a deal without the channels going dark. They were also recently in a carriage dispute with Roku, which prevented new subscribers from downloading the YouTube TV App. The two sides reached a deal last week that saw the app return to the platform. However, YouTube TV has dropped channels in the past. Most notably, in October 2020 they dropped Bally Sports (which were Fox Sports RSNs at the time), along with Sinclair-owned Tennis Channel and Boston-based RSN NESN.
Then Googzilla and Dopey, after listening to complaints of five-year-olds saw the light saber. “YouTube TV reaches deal with Disney to restore channels including ABC, ESPN” reported that despite the gap between Googzilla and Dopey:
CNET’s David Katzmaier notes, though, that while relatively brief, the two-day blackout was an inconvenience to YouTube TV customers who wanted to watch college football (bowl season starts this weekend), the NFL or the NBA on ESPN or ABC, or a Christmas special on the Disney Channel. Katzmaier has his own take on YouTube TV alternatives for bummed-out Disney and sports fans.
Googzilla and Dopey are planning a visit to Disney World over the holidays. Separate rooms, please.
Stephen E Arnold, December 20, 2021
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