Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Audio / Video
  3. News

Why you may still be missing ESPN and other Disney-owned channels on YouTube TV

By

ESPN, ABC, FX, and other channels owned by Disney have returned to YouTube TV. But if you reorder your live listings so that the channels you actually watch are higher up than the ones you don’t, you likely don’t see those channels at all.

The problem is a bit of a glitch in that not only have the channels in question been pushed to the bottom of the listings in the custom view — they’re actually not even enabled in the first place. And that’s not a new phenomenon. It’s the way it has always worked when new channels are added to YouTube TV and you’re using the custom sort, and so it makes sense (in a perverse, broken sort of way) that it’s the case with the Disney-owned channels as they’ve been added back to YouTube TV.

YouTube TV custom listings.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

It also highlights the problem. These are some high-profile channels — your local ABC affiliate, ESPN, FX, the Disney Channel, and more. These aren’t some of the more niche channels born in the internet age that you’ll find further down the listings. These are channels that YouTube TV was forced to remove, albeit for a little more than a day.

Recommended Videos

And those who aren’t using the default view probably don’t even realize the channels have returned, which is something YouTube TV needs to fix. That said, the custom view is a powerful part of YouTube TV. It allows you to disable channels you’ll never watch and get them out of your listings altogether, saving you valuable screen real estate and scroll time. It also allows you to re-order channels so that the things you’ll watch more often will appear higher up.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

Here’s how to re-enable the Disney-owned channels — and anything else that’s new that you might be missing — and move things around in the best order for your preferences:

  1. Go to tv.youtube.com/live in a web browser. (It only works in a browser.)
  2. In the top right, look for Sort. If you’re already using the default sort, you should be good to go.
  3. If you’re already using the Custom view, click Edit to enter the Live Guide settings.
  4. Scroll to the bottom and find any channels that don’t have a red checkmark next to them.
  5. Click the radio button to re-enable the channel.
  6. You can now re-order the channels by grabbing the handles (the four lines) or clicking the overflow menu (three dots) to push them all the way to the top or bottom.

That’s it. Maybe one of these years YouTube TV will actually fix this. Or maybe they consider it to be a feature.

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
Phil Nickinson
Phil Nickinson
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Phil spent the 2000s making newspapers with the Pensacola (Fla.) News Journal, the 2010s with Android Central and then the…
YouTube updates will help you sleep and speed things up
The new YouTube Shorts interface.

There are a million ways Google could improve the YouTube experience across all of its platforms. And today it announced a handful that aim to make how you watch on your mobile device, computer, and TV just a little bit better. The updates focus on playlists, interaction, playback speed — and maybe most importantly an option that'll keep you from waking up at 4 a.m. with Mr. Beast still doing whatever it is he does on your screen.

There are more than two dozen improvements on the way, Google says. Here's a quick look at the biggest of what's coming in the near future:
Sleep timer available to all
Sleep timer is graduating from YouTube Premium and rolling out to everyone on mobile devices. It's exactly what it sounds like — a method by which you can tell YouTube to stop playing at some point. You have a bunch of options for the sleep timer (maybe too many) and and choose whether to have videos stop after 10, 15, 20, 30, 45 minutes, or 1 hour — or when it hits the end of the current video.

Read more
How to watch The Weather Channel without cable
The Weather Channel on Roku.

There are a million ways to get information on the weather these days. Windows, for one. Computers for another. Random people on Instagram and TikTok who suddenly are experts in meteorology for a third. But for a lot of folks, it's still all about The Weather Channel — the ubiquitous channel that, appropriately enough, is all about The Weather. On a Channel.

And, unfortunately, it's time for many in Florida and the rest of the Southeast to keep their eyes glued on The Weather Channel as Hurricane Milton makes landfall this week in the Tampa Bay Area before cleaving its way through the center of the state. Miami looks like it should mostly be spared. Same goes for Northwest Florida, where I live. But models are also starting to show a possible follow-up storm later in the month.

Read more
What is YouTube Music? Everything you need to know
iPhone 15 Pro Max showing the YouTube Music app.

YouTube, long renowned for its vast video library, has quietly established itself as a formidable music streaming service. Its dedicated app, YouTube Music, offers a curated collection of songs, albums, and podcasts catering to various music lovers. With millions of songs and countless music videos, YouTube Music boasts a comprehensive catalog that rivals industry giants like Spotify and Apple Music.

The app utilizes advanced algorithms to suggest music based on your listening habits, ensuring a tailored and enjoyable experience. YouTube Premium subscribers can download their favorite tracks for offline playback, perfect for commutes, workouts, or areas with limited internet connectivity.

Read more