"Carrier disputes have temporarily and permanently killed cable subscribers' access to many channels over the years. And since the early 2000s, many cable companies have phased out DVRs with local storage in favor of cloud-based DVRs. Since then, cable companies have been able to revoke customers' access to DVR files if, for example, the customer stopped paying for the channel from which the content was recorded."
"In a move that appears to be best described as tit for tat, Google has removed content purchased via Google Play and YouTube from Movies Anywhere, a Disney-owned unified platform that lets people access digital video purchases from various distributors, including Amazon Prime Video and Fandango. In removing users' content, Google may gain some leverage in its discussions with Disney, which is reportedly seeking a larger carriage fee from YouTube TV."
"As of this writing, Google and Disney have yet to reach an agreement. On Monday, Google publicly rejected Disney's request to restore ABC to YouTube TV for yesterday's election day, although the company showed a willingness to find a way to quickly bring back ABC and ESPN ("the channels that people want," per Google). Disney has escalated things by making its content unavailable to rent or purchase from all Google platforms."
Carriage disputes between content owners and platforms can remove live channels and previously recorded material from subscriber access. Cloud-based DVRs allow platforms to revoke stored recordings when licensing or payment conditions change. Google removed purchases from Movies Anywhere after negotiations with Disney, and Disney has sought higher carriage fees for YouTube TV. Google publicly declined to restore ABC on election day but indicated willingness to restore ABC and ESPN quickly. Disney made its content unavailable for rent or purchase on Google platforms, deepening streaming fragmentation and leaving customers without expected access to purchased or recorded content.
Read at Ars Technica
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