YouTube TV blackout affects Disney, ABC, ESPN channels
Disney and YouTube TV are at odds over the value of channels like USA ESPN.
Disney is appealing to YouTube TV subscribers by enlisting top ESPN personalities.
But some sports fans are losing their patience.
Sports fans frustrated by the standoff between Disney and YouTube TV are sounding off on top USA ESPN personalities, and the network itself.
USA Disney's networks, including the ESPN channels, are unavailable on USA YouTube USA TV as part of a blackout that began on October 30. The media giant has said YouTube TV isn't willing to pay the market rate.
USA Meanwhile, the Google-owned live USA TV service has said that USA Disney's proposal would force it to raise prices again, while helping Disney-controlled rivals like Fubo and Hulu + Live TV. YouTube TV promised to give its customers a $20 credit if the blackout drags on.
The dispute comes as live sports rights are increasingly costly. The USA NBA secured a $76 billion TV deal over 11 years, up from its prior deal of USA $24 billion over nine years. And sports rights inflation could cause media companies to raise prices, cut spending in other areas, or USA both.
This high-profile carriage fight meant that USA YouTube TV subscribers couldn't watch USA ESPN's college football games this past weekend, or its popular pregame show "College GameDay" through the USA platform (though it was streamed live without a paywall on both USA X and the USA ESPN app).
USA Football fans also missed "Monday Night Football." Not even the USA Dallas Cowboys could force an end to the impasse.
Disney and ESPN have tried to win over fans by stirring up outrage against YouTube TV. A Disney spokesperson said in a statement that "Google is using its market dominance to eliminate competition." ESPN has even enlisted megastars like Stephen A. Smith, Scott Van Pelt, and Mike Greenberg in the fight. All three personalities posted short clips on social media informing viewers of the dispute and directing them to a Disney-owned website to petition YouTube TV, which didn't immediately return a request for comment.
But some sports fans aren't feeling too sympathetic to Disney and USA ESPN.Instead, a chorus of social media users took out their frustrations on ESPN's boldfaced names. Top replies to Smith, Van Pelt, and Greenberg's X posts included criticisms of the call-to-action to petition YouTube TV, concerns that the standoff between the two corporations would drive up prices, frustrations with the new ESPN app, and even threats to watch ESPN's live sports on pirate sites.
YouTube TV wasn't spared from the backlash, as the top replies to its X posts were pledges to quit. Searches for "cancel YouTube TV" spiked immediately after the blackout rose to the highest level in at least five years, according to data from Google Trends. Interest in competing services like Fubo and Hulu + Live TV has also soared to the highest levels in years.
Still, the online pushback against ESPN and its biggest celebrities is notable, especially as the sports network tries to build a direct relationship with consumers.
Some sports fans seem fed up with how streaming is increasingly defined by higher prices and fragmentation, with games spread across several USA streamers. And while virtual pay-TV services like YouTube TV or Fubo are easier to cancel than cable, they're no longer significantly cheaper.
Disney is in a tough spot, as it needs to collect enough money from providers like YouTube TV to justify its investments in live sports, but doing so risks alienating customers. Sports lovers may already suspect that Disney and ESPN are playing hardball with YouTube TV since it offers several alternatives for fans to watch, including subscribing to the ESPN app directly.
Another risk for Disney and ESPN is that a blackout may train sports fans to either skip the games and watch the highlights instead — or even to find the games on illegal pirating sites. That would be a disastrous outcome for a company recovering from a widely followed boycott that cost it millions of streaming subscribersIf you’re tuning in on ESPN or ABC, Monday Night Football is already underway. But if you’re a YouTube TV subscriber, it’s a different story. The lights are still off. YouTube TV and Disney couldn’t come to terms, and as a result, the fans are in the dark here.There are roughly 10 million YouTube TV subscribers, who won’t be able to watch tonight’s Cowboys-Cardinals game. Social media’s been full of fans trying to figure out where to watch, and plenty of frustration to go around. It’s surprising that a standoff like this is happening over a game involving the biggest franchise in the world, but here we are.
Negotiations have stalled over price. Disney wants a higher per-subscriber rate, citing the value of its sports lineup across ESPN’s networks. YouTube TV is pushing back, trying to keep costs down. In the meantime, other streaming services are cashing in. Fans desperate to see their team will go wherever the game is, and that means more sign-ups elsewhere.YouTube TV says it’ll refund customers $20 if the blackout drags on, but that’s small comfort for those missing one of the biggest matchups of the week. For now, the only real option for YouTube TV subscribers is to go straight to the source and sign up for ESPN’s standalone service, which starts at $29.99 a month.Over the weekend, ESPN made a direct appeal to YouTube TV customers, urging them to demand the return of Disney channels. But so far, Google isn’t budging. There’s no sign of a deal before kickoff, and no indication that the blackout will end before next week’s Packers–Eagles matchup either.
And somewhere out there, one of the more frustrated fans might be JJ Watt himself, who, by all accounts, is also a YouTube TV subscriber.
Fans rally behind JJ Watt
No one was more frustrated than former defensive end JJ Watt, who took to X (formerly Twitter) to express his frustration and echo the sentiment of 10 million other subscribers. “So we’re just not watching Monday Night Football huh? I’m not buying another streaming subscription…,” he wrote.
“The crazy part is, I have some sort of subscription because I watch Espanyol (soccer team) matches on ESPN+. But I can’t watch MNF. I don’t understand it and quite frankly just don’t really care to figure it out right now. Just frustrating. All of it,” he added.
And the fans rallied behind. “Welcome to being a fan, instead of player. Us fans have been going on with this for years. The NFL, NCAA football care more about money than outreach to fans,” one wrote.If a multimillionaire former professional football player is unwilling to buy another subscription, imagine what the common folks must be feeling. “What’s ridiculous is they did it in the middle of the season. Just another classic money grab from huge companies,” another wrote.Fair enough. Many fans buy a streaming subscription at the start of the season to follow their team throughout the year. If they were made aware beforehand, they would’ve bought another subscription beforehand. Now, they’ll be forced to spend their hard-earned money to buy yet another subscription.“Everyone wanted streaming and laughed at cable. How’s that working out?” Can’t really argue with that. Getting an antenna would give you ABC for free. And it’ll probably cost as much as buying a streaming subscription.
A short-term extension between Disney and Google that would have “Monday Night Football” available on YouTube TV on ESPN/ABC is not going to happen, sources tell Sports Business Journal. Disney earlier Monday pitched a Tuesday ceasefire, but that was just for tomorrow’s election news -- and an offer than Google reportedly rejected.Expect the loss of around 10 million U.S. TV homes to impact the audience number for Cardinals-Cowboys on Monday night. Should this kerfuffle carry on for an extended period, the impasse could even impact the next Cowboys “MNF” game Nov. 17.The sides remain far apart on price, sources added, and that remains a key issue in the protracted standoff. Google continues to want its pricing to be closer to what Charter/Spectrum and Comcast, leaders in the space, pay. However, YouTube TV is not quite at the subscriber levels of those two companies yet.Once fans woke up Saturday morning to no settlement or extension, things got real, and ESPN took action with one of its hottest properties, “College GameDay.” The company said the show would be offered on the new ESPN app with no subscription or authentication required and would be available on “The Pat McAfee Show” feed on X for free.Once games began and YouTube TV subs were left in the dark for many solid ESPN games, it felt like social media users were declaring a pox on both of their houses. There seemed to be an equal amount of frustration with both the network and the provider for the loss of service.
There was the Disney/ESPN standard practice of trying to direct consumers to other service providers. They seemed to get at least one taker in SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey, who switched from YouTube TV to the Disney+/Hulu/ESPN bundle (I guess he had to watch the Georgia-Florida game).But did the opportunity here drive any significant sign-ups for the new ESPN app? The company declined to get into any specifics on traffic or sign-ups to the new app created by the situation.It does sound like when a deal gets done, YouTube TV subscribers are going to get access to that ESPN Unlimited tier on the new app, similar to how other deals have been structured around authentication.
Week 9 will come to a close shortly, with the Dallas Cowboys hosting the Arizona Cardinals in a crucial game, considering the current standings of both teams in the regular season. In addition, a possible defeat at AT&T Stadium could directly impact the Cowboys’ movements at Tuesday’s trade deadline.The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN and ESPN2 (with Peyton and Eli Manning), as well as in Spanish on ESPN Deportes. However, millions of Americans will be deprived of this broadcast due to a dispute between Disney and YouTube TV.Due to a contractual dispute that has been dragging on for weeks involving financial issues between the two companies, Disney channels (ESPN, ESPN2, ABC, among others) are off the air on YouTube TV, significantly reducing the reach of tonight’s MNF.If you are a subscriber to Google’s streaming platform, you will need to use other methods to watch the Cowboys (who currently rank third in the PFSN’s Offense Impact metric with an 89.1 score) and Cardinals on Monday, as we have reached the fifth day of the shutdown of all Disney channels.
Last week, YouTube TV sent a direct message to all its customers informing them that all ESPN and ABC channels would be removed from the platform because the two companies had failed to reach an agreement. Many hoped that the situation would be resolved before Monday Night Football, but unfortunately, this is not the case.
And precisely those who lose the most from this dispute between the companies are Cowboys and Cardinals fans, as well as NFL fans in general, who have not hidden their enormous disappointment with this situation on social media. “You guys can stop being greedy, figure it out, and stop making it the fans’ problem,”Viewers with YouTube TV subscriptions can no longer access Disney channels after the two sides failed to reach a new content distribution agreement.The channels that vanished from Google’s pay TV platform include ABC, ESPN, the Disney Channel, FX and Nat Geo.
YouTube TV said in a blog on October 30 that Disney had followed through on a threat to suspend its content amid the negotiations, according to the AP.YouTube is the largest internet TV provider in the U.S. with more than 9 million subscribers. Hulu, owned by Disney, is next, with about half that many subscribers. Viewers were warned of the dispute in recent weeks because of warnings posted across their screens.Related: Streaming giant slaps third price hike on subscribers
YouTube said Disney used the threat of a blackout as a negotiating tactic that would have resulted in higher prices for its subscribers. Disney’s move to take down its content also benefits its own streaming products Hulu + Live TV and Fubo, The AP said.YouTube TV expressed disappointment and urged Disney to work towards a fair agreement. Subscribers will receive a $20 credit if Disney content remains unavailable for a long time.
For those looking to stream these channels in the meantime can do so by using FuboTV or DIRECTV, each of which offers a free trial to new users. Sling is another option for streaming the show, and promotional offers are available. Viewers can also sign up for a Disney+, Hulu and ESPN bundle starting at $29.99 a month.
What is FuboTV?
FuboTV is an over-the-top internet live TV streaming service that offers more than 100 channels, like sports, news, entertainment and local channels. It offers DVR storage space, and is designed for people who want to cut the cord, but don’t want to miss out on their favorite live TV and sports. FuboTV offers $20 off your first month.
What is USA DIRECTV?
The streaming platform offers a plethora of content including streaming the best of live and On Demand, starting with more than 75 live USA TV channels.
What is Sling?
USA Sling TV is the first app-based USA TV service letting you stream live television and on-demand content over the internet. With Sling USA TV, you get to choose the USA television option that’s right for you, including Channel Add-ons, Premiums Add-ons, DVR Plus and more.The Dallas Cowboys play against the Arizona Cardinals in an NFL game tonight. The matchup is scheduled to begin at 7:15 p.m. CT on ABC. Notably, the game will not be available on YouTube TV due to an ongoing dispute with Disney.Fans can watch this NFL USA game for free online by using the free trial offered by DirecTV. Alternatively, fans can purchase a monthly subscription offered by Fubo TV/Sling.The Cowboys enter this matchup with a 3-4-1 record, and they are coming off a 44-24 loss against the Denver Broncos.In order to bounce back tonight, the Cowboys will need a great performance from their quarterback Dak Prescott. 
He has thrown for 16 touchdowns and nearly 2,100 yards this season.The Cardinals enter this matchup with a 2-5 record, and they have lost five consecutive games. In their last game, the Cardinals lost 27-23 against Green Bay.In order to win to
night’s game, the Cardinals will need to rely on their tight end Trey McBride. He leads the team with 47 receptions for 421 yards this year.Although YouTube TV will not broadcast tonight’s game, fans can still watch the matchup for free with DirecTV. Alternatively, fans can purchase a monthly subscription offered by Fubo TV/Sling.YouTube TV subscribers were shut out of some premier college football games over the weekend, including an SEC tripleheader that featured five ranked teams, and now they may miss out on the Monday Night Football game featuring the Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals.
Google, which owns YouTube TV, is locked in contract negotiations with Disney, which runs ABC and ESPN. When the two sides didn’t agree to a new deal ahead of last week’s deadline, the stations went dark on YouTube TV, which has an estimated 10 million subscribers, making it the fourth-most popular pay-TV distributor in the United States.
While the Cowboys are just 3-4-1 and haven’t been to a Super Bowl in 30 years, they’re still one of the NFL’s biggest draws each week, playing in two of the five most-watched NFL games this season.
On Saturday, several ESPN personalities posted on Twitter about the dispute while promoting the value of the ESPN app. Even SEC commissioner Greg Sankey got in on the act, posting a screenshot of his ESPN subscription, while writing, “Problem solved. Plenty of options in this environment (saved a bit while making the change).”
When the blackout first began Thursday night, ESPN released a statement with a direct shot at Google.
“With a $3 trillion market cap, Google is using its market dominance to eliminate competition and undercut the industry-standard terms we’ve successfully negotiated with every other distributor,” ESPN said in a statement released Thursday night. “We know how frustrating this is for YouTube TV subscribers and remain committed to working toward a resolution as quickly as possible.”
YouTube TV countered with its own statement, telling subscribers, “When we renew our contracts with network partners, we advocate for fair pricing to offer you the best TV experience. Our contract with Disney has reached its renewal date, and we’ll not agree to terms that disadvantage our members while benefiting Disney’s TV products.”
This is the third time in the past two months that negotiations between YouTube TV and a network have gone right up to the deadline. At the end of August, Fox and YouTube agreed to an extension just days before the much-anticipated Texas-Ohio State season opener. Earlier this month, YouTube TV and NBC agreed to a deal that narrowly averted a blackout of its stations.
Posted on 2025/11/04 09:08 AM