There is no one who isn’t frustrated by the cost of YouTube TV and similar services, but prices continue to rise. However, in a small victory, YouTube TV subscribers who sued Disney for its role in raising the cost of streaming won in court, and Disney settled for $50 million.
It just won’t change your bill.
As ArsTechnica A group of YouTube TV subscribers reportedly filed a class-action lawsuit in late 2022 against Disney over the company’s role in raising the cost of live TV streaming services, such as YouTube TV and Disney’s Hulu + Live TV. The lawsuit accused Disney of entering into “anti-competitive agreements” through actions such as requiring its partners to distribute ESPN in basic packages, which in turn increases the cost of those packages.
The complaint filing reads in part:
…these carriage agreement mandates, which now cover all of Disney’s major competitors in the SLPTV market, allow Disney to use ESPN and Hulu to establish a price floor in the SLPTV market and inflate prices throughout the market by increasing the prices of its own products. And this is exactly what Disney has done over the past three years, since taking operational control of Hulu.
The complaint was filed around the time YouTube TV the price jumped to $65a big increase from its original price of $35, by adding Disney-owned channels, including the aforementioned ESPN. During a 2021 disputeYouTube TV effectively (but not openly) said its base service would be $15 cheaper without Disney programming.
In a tweet at that timeYouTube TV hinted that networks requiring a “full portfolio of channels” increased the “overall price of the service.”
While Disney does not admit any wrongdoing, the media giant agreed to a $50 million settlement. Anyone who subscribed to YouTube TV (or DirecTV Stream, DirecTV Now and/or AT&T TV Now) between April 1, 2019 and March 31, 2026 will be eligible for a portion of the deal.
The agreement also says that Disney should “consider” offering its distribution partners, such as YouTube TV, the option to stream fewer channels, including ESPN, but there does not appear to be any actual requirement.
This comes after YouTube TV and Disney had another very public fight at the end of 2025 where the The same problems were raised – a YouTube TV executive called Disney “unnecessarily aggressive” during the negotiation process. Disney programming was off the air for YouTube TV subscribers for almost two weeks until a new agreement was reached.
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