“I don't know (or care) which party is responsible for this, but DVR is not VOD, it's your recording, and shows recorded before the dispute started should be available. This is a hard lesson for all of us,” the apparently aggrieved customer wrote. on Reddit This week.
For current or former cable TV subscribersthis experience is not new. Disputes between telecom operators over the years have temporarily and permanently deprived cable subscribers of access to many channels. And since the early 2000s, many cable companies have abandoned local storage DVRs 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. What we're seeing with YouTube TV's DVR feature is one of several ways streaming services are copying cable companies.
Google is leaving Movies Anywhere
Google has made a move that can best be described as tit-for-tat. deleted content purchased through Google Play and YouTube on Movies Anywhere, a single platform owned by Disney that allows people to access digital video purchases from a variety of distributors, including Amazon Prime Video and Fandango.
By removing user content, Google could gain some leverage in negotiations with Disney. as reported push for higher freight charges on YouTube TV. However, content removal is just another pain point in the fragmented streaming environment that customers are already facing.
Clients are experiencing inconvenience
As of this writing, Google and Disney have not yet reached an agreement. Monday Google publicly rejected Disney's request to restore the ABC channel to YouTube TV by yesterday's Election Day, although the company has shown a willingness to find a way to quickly bring back ABC and ESPN (“the channels people want,” according to Google). Disney escalated the situation by creating its own content impossible to rent or buy from all Google platforms.
Google is trying to reassure customers by saying it will give YouTube TV subscribers a $20 credit if Disney “content is unavailable for an extended period of time.” Some people online have reported Already received a $10 credit.
Regardless of how this saga ends, the immediate fallout has been inconvenient for both companies' customers. People subscribe to streaming services and rely on purchasing digital videos and recordings for easy and instant access, which has been disrupted by the Google-Disney controversy. The quarrel also served another reminders that in the age of streaming you I don't really own anything.
