Disney has agreed to pay a $50 million settlement in a class action lawsuit involving YouTube TV and DIRECTV customers. The class action lawsuit alleges that Disney forced YouTube TV and DIRECTV Stream to inflate their subscription prices, which is something that actually violates federal and state antitrust and consumer protection laws.
The suit says that Disney strongarmed the providers into carrying ESPN and other Disney-owned channels, making it impossible for these providers to offer cheaper packages without the sports network, leaving consumers to absorb what the plaintiffs call “artificially inflated prices”.
Disney, of course, has denied any wrongdoing, but they have agreed to pay out to eligible customers who had a YouTube TV or DIRECTV Stream subscription between April 1, 2019, and March 31, 2026.
You can see if you’re eligible via the Online TV Settlement website, and you’ll have to submit your claim by September 8, 2026.
YouTube TV and DIRECTV Stream still haven’t brought prices down
While yes, Disney denies any wrongdoing here, if they really did artificially inflate the pricing, YouTube TV and DIRECTV Stream should be lowering prices back to where they should be. But neither platform has seen a price decrease.
This shows that these platforms are using this as a way to grow their profit margins, which is arguably very small in the first place. And also likely using this as a cushion for the next round of negotiations with NBCUniversal, Paramount, Disney, or whoever else has a carriage agreement expiring soon with either platform. In order to keep from raising prices again.
Remember, YouTube TV now starts at $82.99 for the base package, though they are now offering smaller ‘skinny’ packages, which do make it cheaper to get the service. Meanwhile, DIRECTV Stream’s cheapest package starts at $89.99, without any sort of promos, which they always seem to have one.
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