Rival signups were twice as common among YouTube TV blackout-window cancellers
Share newly subscribing to Fubo, Sling TV, DirecTV/Stream, or Philo within 90 days; October 30–November 30 cancellation cohorts
Share newly subscribing to a rival
Source: YipitData U.S. e-receipt panel. Blackout-window cohort: 2,318 YouTube TV cancellers in 2025; prior-year control: 815 cancellers in the same 2024 window. A rival signup required no receipt from that rival in the prior 180 days. Hulu + Live TV is excluded. Timing does not establish why an individual canceled. Analysis completed August 17, 2026.
Chart data
| Series | Share newly subscribing to a rival |
|---|---|
| Blackout-window cohort | 10.3% |
| Prior-year control | 5% |
Did those rival switchers return to YouTube TV?
About half did. Among blackout-window cancellers who joined a rival, 49.2% (117 of 238) reactivated YouTube TV by August 17, 2026, compared with 33.4% of non-switchers. The 121 switchers who had not returned represented 5.2% of the blackout-window cohort, versus 2.8% in the prior-year control. Rival signup was often followed by a return to YouTube TV. Not returned means no reactivation was observed by August 17, not that the subscriber was permanently lost.
Assumptions & Methodologies
Disney programming left YouTube TV on October 30, 2025, and channels including ABC, ESPN, and FX began returning after the companies reached a deal on November 14. [YouTube Blog]
We compared U.S. e-receipt panelists whose first YouTube TV cancellation fell October 30–November 30, 2025 (n=2,318) with the same 2024 window (n=815). A rival signup required a Fubo, Sling TV, DirecTV/Stream, or Philo receipt within 90 days and none in the prior 180 days. Reactivation was observed through August 17, 2026. Direct-billed cancellations are captured best; Hulu + Live TV is excluded, and the timing comparison does not establish why an individual canceled.