Sunday, December 19, 2021

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Microsoft had to use Xbox dev kits to run a 'Halo Infinite' tournament

Posted: 18 Dec 2021 01:59 PM PST

Even Microsoft is feeling the sting of ongoing Xbox shortages. Kotakunotes Microsoft resorted to using Xbox Series X dev kits (not pictured) to run the first big Halo Infinite tournament, the Halo Championship Series' Raleigh Major, this weekend. Simply put, the company couldn't find enough retail consoles to use — the "global supply chain shortage is real," 343 Industries' eSports lead Tahir Hasandjekic said.

The dev kits are "functionally identical" to off-the-shelf consoles and will operate in that mode, Hasandjekic added. They don't look quite the same, but competitors shouldn't notice any differences from the systems they have at home.

The irony is thick, but this also underscores the severity of console shortages over a year after the Xbox Series X made its debut. It's still difficult to buy the machine between scalpers and industry-wide chip shortages, and Microsoft doesn't necessarily have privileged access to its own hardware. With that said, the company probably doesn't want to make a habit of using developer units. We won't be surprised if Microsoft ensures future in-person HCS matchups rely on store-bought Xbox systems, if just for the sake of burnishing its public image.

GM delivers its first Hummer EV

Posted: 18 Dec 2021 11:52 AM PST

The next chapter of GM's electrification strategy is officially underway. The Vergereports GM has started deliveries of the Hummer EV as promised, with its first "supertruck" (an Edition 1) rolling off the line at Factory Zero in Hamtramck, Michigan. The automaker didn't name the initial customer, but that person clearly paid for bragging rights given the Edition 1's $110,295 sticker.

You'll have to wait considerably longer for other trim levels. The $99,995 3X (which drops from 1,000HP to 'just' 830HP) doesn't arrive until fall 2022, while the $89,995 2X variant (625HP) will wait until spring 2023. The $79,995 2 trim doesn't surface until spring 2024. All but the base version deliver a claimed 300 or more miles of range, while that 'entry' model musters 250 miles per charge.

The steep prices won't leave Tesla, Hyundai and other EV competitors too worried. This is a luxury machine that will sell in limited numbers. However, popularity isn't entirely the point. This is the first consumer-oriented vehicle to ship using the Ultium battery technology that will underpin numerous GM EVs going forward, including the Cadillac Lyriq and Chevy Silverado. The Hummer is both a halo vehicle for the brand and an answer to challengers like Tesla and Rivian.

Nio's new ET5 EV rivals the Model 3 with a claimed 620-mile range

Posted: 18 Dec 2021 11:07 AM PST

Nio's soon-to-arrive ET7 is practically tailor-made to challenge Tesla's Model S, and now the company appears to have a (partial) answer to the Model 3. Electreksays Nio has introduced the ET5, a more affordable "mid-size" electric sedan. It starts at RMB 328,000 (about $51,450), or well under the roughly $70,000 of the ET7, but offers similarly grandiose range figures. Nio claims the base 75kWh battery offers over 341 miles of range using China's test cycle, while the highest-end 150kWh "Ultralong Range" pack is supposedly good for more than 620 miles. You'll likely pay significantly more for the privilege and may not see that range in real life, but the numbers could still tempt you away from higher-end Model 3s if long-distance driving is crucial.

You can expect the usual heapings of technology. The ET5 will have built-in support for autonomous driving features as they're approved, and drivers get a "digital cockpit" thanks to Nreal-developed augmented reality glasses that can project a virtual screen equivalent to 201 inches at a 20-foot viewing distance. Nio has teamed with Nolo to make VR glasses, too, although it's safe to say you won't wear those while you're driving.

Deliveries are expected to start September 2022. That's a long way off, but Nio appears to be on track with its EV plans as it expects to deliver the ET7 on time (if only just) starting March 28th.

This launch also dovetails with Nio's tentative steps outside of China. The brand only expanded to Norway in 2021, but it aimed to begin sales in Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden in 2022. You should see the badge in 25 countries and regions by 2025. While Nio still won't count as automotive heavyweight by that stage, it could easily put pressure on other EV makers within a few years.

New Toyota cars don't include remote starting on key fobs

Posted: 18 Dec 2021 09:45 AM PST

Current Toyota drivers might not be thrilled about having to subscribe just to remotely start from their key fobs, but what about new buyers? There's mixed news. The automaker told Roadshow in a statement that remote starting won't be available on key fobs for new vehicles. You'll have to use the brand's mobile app, in other words. With that said, you might not mind the cost.

You may not ever have to pay for the feature. While it was previously clear 2018 to 2020 vehicles were limited to a three-year Connected Sevices trial, some 2020 model year and newer vehicles include a 10-year trial. There's a real possibility you'll have moved on to another car by the time the freebie expires.

This still won't please anyone who prefers the simplicity of a fob, or owners who intend to keep their vehicles for a long time. You may have to pay extra just to keep the functionality your car had for a large part of its lifespan. We wouldn't count on Toyota backtracking, mind you. Like many companies, Toyota is turning to services to provide a steadier revenue stream than it would get through sales alone. Remote starting isn't likely to represent a windfall when it will only collect $80 per year a decade from now, but it hints where Toyota's strategy is going.

ICYMI: We listen to Yamaha’s latest headphones with 3D sound

Posted: 18 Dec 2021 09:00 AM PST

As we get closer and closer to the end of the year, there are still plenty of interesting gadgets, instruments and devices to review. This week, we've got a new addition to the Halo series with Halo: Infinite, which Jessica Conditt says fits right in with the rest of the franchise. Terrence O'Brien played the Fender Acoustasonic Player Telecaster and reported that the hybrid instrument produces convincing acoustic sounds that echo the original guitar. James Trew used the Analogue Pocket and says it's the best handheld retro experience available right now, period. And Billy Steele listened to Yahama's YH-L700A, which he deemed a bit heavy-handed, albeit excellent for movie watching.

The Yamaha YH-L700A headphones have a unique aesthetic and a high price

Yamaha YH-L700A review
Billy Steele/Engadget

Billy Steele likes the look of the Yamaha YH-L700A headphones: he says the combination of leather, fabric, matte black and silver accents makes for a refined look while the square fold-in ear cups make them easy to travel with. The noteworthy feature on these headphones is the 3D Sound Field feature, which consists of seven presets to enhance music and movies. There's also a head-tracking feature which makes the sound appear to be coming from a stationary point.

Billy says this last feature added a cinematic element to movie watching, but he didn't think it translated when listening to music. The seven presets of the 3D Sound Field likewise worked better for movies and television where they created a spacious sound. While testing the filters with music, Billy reports they felt heavy-handed and didn't work well across genres. He says the active noise cancellation on these cans is sufficient if not impressive, and points out that the marquee features can be toggled on and off within the app. However, he was disappointed with the battery life – during testing, the headphones managed to last just under 11 hours, which is lackluster when most of the competition boasts closer to 30 hours of battery life. And at $500, they have a high price tag to boot.

The Analogue Pocket offers all the fun of '90s portable gaming

Analogue Pocket
James Trew/Engadget

James Trew is a long-time vintage gaming fan and is quick to point out that while the Analogue Pocket is the best experience available right now, it's also not for casual users. At $220, it lets you play most vintage portable titles from Game Boy, as well as Game Gear, while adapters for Neo Geo Pocket Color and Atari Lynx are on the way. It also has more modern touches, too, like a backlit display. And in addition to being a quality gaming device, the Analogue Pocket can also hook up to a TV and has built-in music making software.

Because of its FPGA "cores," the Pocket can mimic vintage consoles at a hardware level – no more emulator quirks to suffer through. It's also functional with original Game Boy accessories like the Game Boy Camera, printers or rumble packs. And it can connect to an authentic Game Boy for a multiplayer experience. James liked the 3.5-inch screen made with Gorilla Glass as well as the save states, but wished the shoulder buttons were better and said some of the display modes obscure on-screen messaging at times. Overall, the Analogue Pocket offers elevated retro gameplay with enough forthcoming additional features to ensure it will get better over time.

Halo: Infinite has fun new mechanics and tools

Halo: Infinite
Engadget

Jessica Conditt had high hopes for Halo: Infinite, the first open-world game in the franchise's history. And she admits that playing the new storyline brought back warm, gleeful feelings and a sense of familiarity. However, she also thinks the game lacks surprise and intrigue – much of the innovation into vertical space has been done by other, more recent games, and the cramped map made for contained and linear gameplay.

That being said, Jessica reports she had a lot of fun playing with the newly available mechanics and tools, in particular the grapple hook. From climbing mountains to scaling buildings, the grapple hook provides new vertical space for players to explore. Jessica says that while she expected a lot more from the pioneer FPS title, she also thinks it's at its best when it gives users a rich environment full of grappling, shielding and in-air headshots. From the maze-like levels, military stereotypes and sarcastic robots, Infinite plays like a classic Halo game.

The Hydrasynth Explorer offers an endless array of synth options

Hydrasynth Explorer
Terrence O'Brien/Engadget

Terrence O'Brien admits up front that the Hydrasynth Explorer offers a remarkable array of features and options in a portable, well-built device. For $600, you get a wavemorphing engine with an eight-note polyphone, three oscillators per voice, a ring modulator, a noise source and over 200 waveforms. There are also two filters which can be in series or parallel to determine how much of each oscillator goes to each filter. He says that the 88-page manual feels like it's just skimming the surface of what the synth is capable of.

However, you don't need to master the sound design tools to get started with the instrument – just dig into the 640 presets spread over five banks of 128 patches. During testing, Terrence found the Explorer easy to use thanks to the neatly labeled sections on the front panel. A few things missing on the versatile device are a proper sequencer, full-sized keys, and touch strips instead of pitch and mod wheels. There are also only three filter knobs instead of five. Despite that, Terrence still feels that the Explorer is well worth its price tag given its great sound, solid build and plethora of tools to explore.

Fender's Acoustasonic Player Telecaster is an (almost) perfect couch guitar

Fender Acoustasonic Player Telecaster
Terrence O'Brien/Engadget

Terrence O'Brien also spent some time with the new Fender Acoustasonic Player Telecaster, which slashes $800 off the price of the previous model. For $1,200, you get a mahogany and spruce satin finish with a rosewood fretboard, two pickups and a three-way switch with six sound options. Instead of a rechargeable battery, the Player runs on a standard nine-volt cell. Terrence reports it eats through the batteries surprisingly quickly, but remains convenient.

When it came to how the instrument sounded, Terrence reports that while there are fewer acoustic simulations on this model, the two offerings (Rosewood Dreadnought and Mahogany Small Body) cover a lot of ground. He says that he prefers the electric sounds of the Telecaster to the more expensive Jazzmaster, as it resembles the original guitar more and plays better with pedals. Terrence says the two acoustic simulations offer depth and character, and that overall, the hybrid guitar is a perfect couch instrument.

Universal's Audio Volt is an audio interface ideal for a home studio

Universal Audio Volt
Terrence O'Brien/Engadget

Terrence O'Brien deems Universal Audio's first foray into the budget space a success. The company's Volt series, five models that run from $139 to $369, are affordable audio interfaces that share a core 24-bit/192kHz audio converter and a preamp with a "Vintage" mode that aims to recreate that classic tube preamp sounds. Terrence tested the $189 Volt 2 and the $299 Volt 276, which are both two-input interfaces.

The differences between the two models are slight: the Volt 2 is simple and utilitarian, but works well with limited space, while the "76" version has a built-in compressor and will require extra desk space as most of the controls are on the top. Terrence says the compressor makes a big difference as it's capable of softer edges to tame the harsher frequencies. He also felt the metering LEDs on the 276 were easier to see and the wooden sides were a nice touch. While the base models were excellent interfaces at reasonable prices, Terrence said the 176, 276 and 476 stood out from the pack thanks to their compressors, style and ergonomics.

Adidas' first NFT drop earns $23 million

Posted: 18 Dec 2021 08:51 AM PST

Adidas' first NFT effort appears to have been a success. The Block has learned the collaboration with Bored Ape Yacht Club, Gmoney and Punks has raked in more than $23 million in Ethereum between a $15.5 million "Early Access" phase and $7.5 million in a general sale. All told, the drop minted nearly 30,000 NFTs despite a hiccup that led Adidas to pause early transactions.

The number may not sound large for such a well-known brand, but Adidas managed the equivalent of $538.4 million in profit during its latest quarter — $23 million from a limited-run digital release is significant. More sales like this could pad Adidas' bottom line while giving NFTs the hype levels previously reserved for sneakers.

There's a good chance you'll see more NFT releases as a result, not to mention greater involvement in metaverses. Not that Adidas necessarily has much choice. Nike bought RTFKT precisely to deepen its involvement with NFTs and metaverse collectibles like shoes, and Adidas risks ceding ground if it doesn't counter one of its most obvious rivals.

Hitting the Books: AI can help us design the greener, cleaner homes of tomorrow

Posted: 18 Dec 2021 08:30 AM PST

In his new book, SuperSight: What Augmented Reality Means for Our Lives, Our Work, and the Way We Imagine the Future, author David Rose delves into the current state of the art of augmented reality, discussing how the technology is already transforming myriad industries — from food service to medicine to education to construction and architecture — and what it might accomplish in the near future. In the excerpt below, Rose takes a look at two companies leveraging computer vision and generative adversarial networks to reimagine existing properties as 21st century electrified smart homes. 

Supersight front cover
BenBella Books

Excerpted with permission from SuperSight: What Augmented Reality Means for Our Lives, Our Work, and the Way We Imagine the Future by David Rose, published by BenBella Books.

We should all be using solar panels. Period. The average cost for a sustainable energy system has fallen about 70% in the last decade, from $5.86/watt to $1.50/ watt, so it's a financial no-brainer. For no money down, you can finance an installation and start saving a hundred dollars a month in the first month, and even more if you live in the sun-saturated South.

So why aren't we? It's complicated! Math, logistics, taxes, and aesthetics all play a role. Many homeowners fear it will make their houses shiny and reflective like the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz. The process of figuring out the number of panels in what size you need requires learning to "talk solar" in unfamiliar units like kilowatt-hours. And change always comes with risk, whether actual or just perceived.

The pro-climate mission of Boston-based company Energy Sage is to get people to electrify their homes. That means solar panels on your roof, an electric car, a home battery system, automatic blinds, and a smart thermostat that precools or preheats as you drive home. And they've partnered with us at Continuum to get potential customers more comfortable with the idea by showing them what an electrified version of their home might look like. Using publicly available Google Home satellite images, we size solar panels, digitally overlay them on clients' roofs, and then show them what their pad would look like from both the street and their neighbor's fence. We then take those images and pair them with data from Project Sunroof, a Google project that helps you work out the solar savings potential of your roof. Once you've seen the beautiful pictures of your electrified home and realized how much you're going to save over the years—and you have the visual and financial data in hand—it's a simple decision to go forward and make that change.

Other home improvement projects will benefit from a similar SuperSight-envisioned approach. Let's consider landscaping: another complicated, potentially expensive project with its own disorienting language, risks, and desperate need for pre-project visualization.

I met landscape designer Julie Moir-Messervy at an MIT pitch competition and was immediately intrigued with her mission: to give homeowners the confidence and tools they need to change their barren yard into a collection of outdoor living spaces. Her company, HomeOutside, helps people see new possibilities for their backyards using AI and computer vision. Once they've visualized their yard in a compelling way, the company makes it easy for them to make that vision a reality by hiring the landscape installer, getting materials delivered, and even helping spread the payments out over time.

Landscaping isn't just good for property values; greenscapes filter airborne pollutants that trigger asthma, help people recuperate faster from illness, reduce summer temperatures, and even lower crime. Proper native landscaping powers a dynamic system that helps out the bees and birds, who in turn pollinate trees and reseed plants. Southwest shade trees can reduce the need for air-conditioning, and northeast hedges cut down on winter winds—and heating bills. More trees mean more carbon capture—a ton over the lifetime of each tree—as they literally suck the bad stuff we produce out of the air while reducing runoff and erosion.

But "most people don't do anything in their yards because they don't know where to start," Julie told me. "They don't know which plants to select and how to arrange them, or don't know how to install a landscape design and care for it over time." I was so inspired to work on the problem that I accepted a position on her board and got to work.

HomeOutside is training a generative adversarial network (GAN) to automatically compose beautiful and sustainable landscape designs, based on the thousands of designs (think of these as recipes) the firm has developed for clients over the last twenty-plus years. The company uses Google Earth Engine and photogrammetry to start with a 3D view of any address (US only, currently). The GAN architecture then uses one network (the Generator) to make a new design, and another network (the Discriminator) to judge or score the work. These two networks continue their iterative game, generating then scoring, until the discriminator judges that the landscape has a good composition: shade trees, natural pollinators, grass for playing, hardscapes/decks and furniture for gathering places, plant diversity, and so forth.

Companies that sell plants, furniture, lighting, and hardscapes are obviously interested in this type of "imagination engine" technology, because it bridges the conceptual gap between the current state of someone's garden and what could be—thus motivating many more people to make the dream real. It's not just great for the homeowners and outdoor retailers, either—it's great for the environment, too. But what the company's environmentally focused investors find most captivating about this project is the opportunity to change the landscape of entire neighborhoods at scale. What if we could create a new national park across millions of backyards that stitch together places for birds and bees? Every acre of forest absorbs about 2.5 tons of carbon a year. What if we turned neighborhoods into significant carbon sequestration zones?

I helped Julie and her team develop HomeOutside's grand plan to proactively redesign seventy million front yards, then work with Home Depot, Lowe's, Wayfair, IKEA, and garden centers to email their customers a 3D redesign of their yard. Customers simply go outside their home, open their phone, and,through the app's use of spatial world anchors, walk through an immersive animated landscape superimposed on their current yard. A time-lapse view from sunrise to sunset shows why the edible garden is placed where it is. The winter visualization explains the choice of new fir trees between their yard and the neighbor's. Spring flowers bloom with a cacophony of color.

Will people be alarmed by the idea of an algorithm proactively redesigning their yard, with new shade trees and naturally pollinating shrubs? It's not as if your front yard is private now, thanks to Google Street View. And if you are selling your home, you might decide against hiring the landscapers and just choose to post images of HomeOutside's makeover version instead to maximize your curb appeal.

Once this visioning technology is commonplace, lots of different fields will start taking advantage of it. Home Depot, for example, recently invested in a startup called Hover, which, after digitizing your home in 3D, visualizes and prices new paint, siding, and roofing materials. SuperSight will soon show the actual paint crew up on their ladders, finishing the last few brush strokes, so you get that delightful experience of a job just finished. Volkswagen might put a new Passat in your driveway, complete with the kayaks and mountain bikes it knows you love on top. And the company trying to sell you home and car insurance? They'll project a disaster scenario: solar panels fallen off, the shade tree hit by lightning, and your new Passat pummeled in a hail storm. Better buy the insurance before you repaint.

How will we interact with these types of immersive designs? With our SuperSight glasses on, will we point and place trees, or paint flowers from a palette of choices, like a 3D version of Photoshop? Will we select each plant from a vast menu of options for infinite control and customization, or will we just tell the system what we like so it learns our preferences, then proposes a single solution we'll love? I believe in the happy medium: that we'll largely prefer to see several "expertly composed" options and choose from among them, much as we do today when working with an architect, interior designer, or wedding planner.

Experts are usually so good at what they do that it's often a mistake to over-specify particular details. For example, you shouldn't tell an architect that you want a window exactly here, or an interior designer that you want this particular chair in a specific color in this corner. Instead, you express your opinions at a higher level of abstraction ("I want the room to feel more connected to the environment") or through describing a required function ("We want a vegetable garden"), and let them do the detailed work.

The same expert-guided interaction model will dominate our relationships with SuperSight AIs. For landscaping, we might ask for a more formal French garden with rectilinear layouts and exotic colorful plants, or a curvaceous organic design that prioritizes privacy from our neighbors. We might indicate a preference for an open space for play, or for a filled-in scheme with more space for a productive garden. And as we express these higher-level interests, our 3D landscape design will dynamically recalculate to match our preferences. With SuperSight glasses on, we'll be able to test our hunches faster by seeing reconfigurations immediately and in context, superimposed on our real home.

The jury is still out on whether HomeOutside will be able to use this technology to convince millions of homeowners to invest significantly in a sustainable landscape. The testing is promising, though; customers are delighted to see their yards reimagined and restaged. In the next five years, HomeOutside plans to use Google Earth and street view imagery in a generative AI tool to automatically redesign tens of millions of landscapes, with sustainable plants, shade trees, natural pollinators, and bird-friendly berries. If it succeeds, it will mean a million homeowners will plant at least 3 million new shade trees, like oaks and beeches, that will each capture 48 pounds of carbon a year as they mature. That's 14 billion tons of carbon sequestered over those trees' lifespans.

As one of the HomeOutside advisors summed up, "You are building the equivalent of a new national park—the National Park of us! Visualization tools like HomeOutside can persuade homeowners to reshape the American landscape."

That's the ultimate potential power of SuperSight: to help people envision and imagine a future that benefits themselves and the planet.

NVIDIA's RTX 2050 laptop GPU slaps an old name on new technology

Posted: 18 Dec 2021 07:10 AM PST

NVIDIA is once again reviving an old name in its graphics chip lineup, but this time it's for thoroughly modern technology. As AnandTechreports, the company has introduced an GeForce RTX 2050 laptop GPU that may sound like recycled low-end hardware, but is based on the same Ampere design found in the RTX 3050 series. The naming scheme is confusing, to put it mildly, but that does give you up-to-date ray tracing in a potentially more affordable package.

You'll have to settle for a 64-bit memory bus instead of the 3050's 128-bit pipe, and the boost clock stops at 1,477MHz versus 1,740MHz. However, you'll still get the same 2,048 CUDA cores and 4GB of GDDR6 memory, while peak power consumption drops to a much more reasonable 45W compared to the 80W of higher-end chips. This is partly meant for 'in-between' laptops that don't have the chassis space or batteries for RTX 30 GPUs.

The company has also revealed two entry-level chips, the MX550 and MX570, although it's shy on details beyond promises of more CUDA cores, faster memory and greater power efficiency than the MX450 they replace. The MX550 is based on the older Turing architecture, while the MX570 uses Ampere. Like with past MX chips, these are meant for thin-and-light portables where integrated graphics might not be good enough.

There's another issue beyond the branding: the release window. NVIDIA doesn't expect the RTX 2050 or new MX parts to reach shipping laptops until spring 2022. That's an usually long lead time, and suggests NVIDIA is announcing the GPUs now to clear the slate for CES in January. Whatever the reasoning, you'll have to be patient if you want a laptop with modern NVIDIA graphics but find RTX 3050-equipped systems beyond your reach.

Recommended Reading: How a Netflix series changed Formula 1

Posted: 18 Dec 2021 07:00 AM PST

Drive to Survive — the F1 documentary that has changed a sport

Matt Slater, The Athletic

An F1 season concluded last weekend with more drama than Netflix producers could dream of, and neither the service nor the racing series will be complaining. The documentary-style series Formula 1: Drive to Survive has massively expanded the F1 fan base since its debut in 2019, thanks to cinematic behind-the-scenes access to drivers, teams and tactics from the previous season. "Nowhere has that effect been more obvious than in America," Slater writes.

How Shein beat Amazon at its own game — and reinvented fast fashion

Louise Matsakis, Meaghan Tobin and Wency Chen, Rest of World

When an influencer posts a thrift store find, it becomes the latest fashion trend. Fast fashion companies seize quickly on what's popular on social media and Shein has created a billion-dollar business doing just that. 

Robert Downey Jr.: Here's how to accelerate discoveries to help the planet

Robert Downey Jr and David Lang, Fast Company

Ironman has some ideas on how to fix science funding, arguing that the rapid response to the pandemic needs to be applied to saving the planet. 

Apple's public macOS 12.2 beta includes a speedier Music app

Posted: 18 Dec 2021 05:46 AM PST

Apple has rolled out the macOS 12.2 beta update to public testers in its beta program, just a day after it became available to developers. As 9to5Mac notes, the OS comes with a new Music app that Apple had rebuilt as a full native application. Apple introduced macOS' dedicated Music app back in 2019, but it kept some iTunes elements for some parts of it, which means it still displays web content within the app.

Based on what 9to5Mac has seen, macOS 12.2 beta uses AppKit, the framework needed to give applications a native interface. There won't be a big difference in looks, but the new app will apparently work faster. Searching for songs within Music, for instance, will appear more quickly because the results will be displayed on a native interface, while scrolling will feel smoother and trackpad gestures will feel more responsive. 

In addition to a brand new Music app, macOS 12.2 will also make scrolling in Safari smoother for the 14-and-16-inch MacBook Pro models that support refresh rates of up to 120Hz. To test out macOS 12.2, you'll have to download and install the macOS Developer Beta Access Utility. You'll then be able to access the latest beta update in the Software Update section of System Preferences.

YouTube TV loses access to ESPN, ABC and other Disney channels

Posted: 18 Dec 2021 12:35 AM PST

Google has failed to strike a deal that would allow it to continue offering YouTube TV subscribers access to Disney's channels. The tech giant warned customers a few days ago that Disney channels, including ABC, ESPN and FX, might disappear before midnight of December 17th if they can't come to terms with carriage fees. Back then, it was optimistic that it could get the outcome it wanted. But now, Google has told customers that the companies were unable to reach an agreement before their existing one expired despite holding negotiations for several months.

The company said negotiations fell through despite its best efforts but that it "will continue conversations with Disney to advocate on [viewers'] behalf." Disney, however, told The Streamable in a statement that YouTube TV has "declined to reach a fair deal with [the company] based on market terms and conditions." 

The company added: "As a result, their subscribers have lost access to our unrivaled portfolio of networks including live sports and news plus kids, family and general entertainment programming from ABC, the ESPN networks, the Disney channels, Freeform, the FX networks and the National Geographic channels. We stand ready to reach an equitable agreement with Google as quickly as possible in order to minimize the inconvenience to YouTube TV viewers by restoring our networks. We hope Google will join us in that effort."

Here's the list of Disney-owned channels no longer available on YouTube TV:

  • Your local ABC channel

  • ABC News Live

  • Disney Channel

  • Disney Junior

  • Disney XD

  • Freeform

  • FX

  • FXX

  • FXM

  • National Geographic

  • National Geographic Wild

  • ESPN

  • ESPN2

  • ESPN3 (by authentication to the ESPN app)

  • ESPNU

  • ESPNEWS

  • SEC Network

  • ACC Network

Google has lowered YouTube TV's price by $15 a month (from $65 to $50 for Basic tier) while Disney channels aren't available on the platform. For now, it's advising viewers to sign up for The Disney Bundle at $14 a month if they want continued access to the channels that were removed from YouTube TV.  
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