YTTV dropped ESPN

[Ragnor]

This may have been mentioned but Disney owns a majority stake in Hulu (and ABC, ESPN, SEC, ACC, FX) and coincidentally…HULU live is raising their prices on Dec 21, 4 days after cutting out Google/YTTV.

Their new price for will be $70.00 + $10 if you want DVR functionality with ability to fast forward through commercials (200 hours). That’s generous of them. YYTV was $65 for a superior technical product and unlimited DVR, similar channel offerings.

It’ss hard to feel sad for either party. Googles ability to monetize our identities, behavior, locations, surfing and shopping behaviors probably allows them to subsidize cost. Disney has been a shameless, ruthless, cynical profiteer for decades that preys on the sensibilities of parents and nostalgia (and is responsible for Star Wars Episodes 7,8,9).

Fubo in its crosshairs next? Will ESPN, SEC, ACC eventually only be available through HULU, or perhaps competitors at a dear cost? I don’t know. At some point these companies will have grown too large to promote a fair marketplace.

NOTE: for those that have used their FUBO trial for the game earlier this year Hulu live also offers a 1 week trial.

I will not contribute to Disney's monopoly on sports programming by going to Hulu. I would rather go to sports bars to watch. I originally got YTTV when it was about 45 bucks a month and I liked it then. I didn't need them to add anything. I would be ok with just a package that has espn and BTN. That is all I need cost for the other items is ridiculous.

 

[GoldGoldGold]

I guess my e-mail this morning was the catalyst for them making a deal. I'll take the credit anyway... LOL

 

[FormerFatOL]

If you can make Disney blink you must have a huge set of......

Are you sure Google didn't blink? YTTV needs Disney/ESPN much more than the opposite. It's all about content.

 

[Dave H]

I disagree. ESPN hemorrhages money for Di$ney (hence the almost yearly cuts...all Mouse money goes to movies and theme parks) they need as many eyes on their content as possible and losing a popular streaming model would be a killer.

They know know keeping YTTV is going to keep more people watching than forcing them to sign up for their propietary service.

 

[WAGopher]

Are you sure Google didn't blink? YTTV needs Disney/ESPN much more than the opposite. It's all about content.

I’m pretty sure Disney blinked. They wanted to raise rates, but YTTV held ground and our rates stay the same. Plus I noticed a new Disney channel is available, FreeForm. It may have been there before, but today is the first I noticed it.

 

[matt]

Are you sure Google didn't blink? YTTV needs Disney/ESPN much more than the opposite. It's all about content.

It looks very likely that Disney blinked given that prices are remaining the same. If YTTV trots out a monthly increase in two months, you might be onto something.

I think it being bowl season actually gave YTTV more leverage. ESPN paid a lot for the bowl game contracts and needs a lot of viewers to watch the ads. They would lose a decent number of casual viewers for bowl games who would be perfectly content watching Home Alone and Die Hard for the 4th time instead of switching to another service just to watch Tennessee hang 70 on Purdue.

 

[Word]

It looks very likely that Disney blinked given that prices are remaining the same. If YTTV trots out a monthly increase in two months, you might be onto something.

I think it being bowl season actually gave YTTV more leverage. ESPN paid a lot for the bowl game contracts and needs a lot of viewers to watch the ads. They would lose a decent number of casual viewers for bowl games who would be perfectly content watching Home Alone and Die Hard for the 4th time instead of switching to another service just to watch Tennessee hang 70 on Purdue.

Don't be shocked if YTTV raises prices in the next quarter. Doubt they'd raise them the day after people get their ESPN back.
My guess is both sides gave a little.

 

[Taji34]

I'm staying away from YTTV for a while. I was a loyal customer. F'ck Google. There will be some experimentation the next few months including considering the traditional cable and/or satellite providers again. FuboTV for at least a month. My wife will probably convince me to return eventually. She likes YTTV.

In the past, I've switched between Comcast and DirecTV multiple times; always spurred on by the existing provider pissing me off for one reason or another. Google is no different. Time to experiment elsewhere.

Why is your anger directed at Google/YTTV? Disney was the greedy one and wanted more money, is Google supposed to just agree to whatever price increase Disney asks for?

Disney thought they could bully YTTV into paying more (as I'm sure they do with other smaller streaming services that could not survive without those channels), but YTTV didn't flinch. They called Disney's bluff. Now the channels are back AND there isn't a price increase.

 

[PMWinSTP]

I'm staying away from YTTV for a while. I was a loyal customer. F'ck Google. There will be some experimentation the next few months including considering the traditional cable and/or satellite providers again. FuboTV for at least a month. My wife will probably convince me to return eventually. She likes YTTV.

In the past, I've switched between Comcast and DirecTV multiple times; always spurred on by the existing provider pissing me off for one reason or another. Google is no different. Time to experiment elsewhere.

Pretty sure this was not Google but Disney. My guess is Google called Disney's bluff. That's a lot of eyeballs to lose in an instant.

 

[WorkingMyTailOff]

I am a big fan of YTTV for the reasons others have stated. The cynic in me wonders if instead of Google paying more to Disney, they agreed to share more data about Google’s customers. I have never read the YTTV user agreement but there could very well be a substantial rev stream earned by Google by sharing our watching habits.

 

[Zeppelin Gopher]

ESPN now showing me this banner ad.

I don't think the YTTV and Disney thing will end soon. This is going to be the first major standoff in the "I'm taking my ball and going home" new world of media distribution battles.

We're just getting started. And it's going to be very anti-consumer before it gets better.

I've spent a large part of my career in this space and I see where it's heading.

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@oldtakesexposed

 

[Bob_Loblaw]

Pretty sure this was not Google but Disney. My guess is Google called Disney's bluff. That's a lot of eyeballs to lose in an instant.

This is what I assumed as well.

As much as Google/YTTV need ESPN, I really think Disney and ESPN need the eyeballs more. It made sense that this was resolved because they both help each other. It's not a zero sum world and I think the additional eyeballs on ESPN helps them and the programming helps YTTV.

All of these entities exist in a world where they know if they make things too big of a pain in the ass, they will lose a chunk of people to illegal streams and another chunk of people to just eventually going without ESPN.

 

[maroonfive]

You could just listen to games via computer or radio. Easy solution.

 

[fmlizard]

@oldtakesexposed

this one resolved quicker than I thought and I'm happy to be wrong, but there will be many more of these squabbles in the coming year

 

[BroncoRedux]

Are you sure Google didn't blink? YTTV needs Disney/ESPN much more than the opposite. It's all about content.

The price didn't change. Follow the money.