Disney and YouTube's stand-off is now entering day two, leaving millions of YouTube TV subscribers without access to ABC, ESPN, and other Disney-owned channels that broadcast college football's biggest games. After the two companies failed to reach a new carriage agreement by October 31, Disney pulled its networks from YouTube TV, where they'll remain dark until both sides strike a deal.
The blackout couldn't have come at a worse time, too, especially for Florida college football fans. This is the last weekend before the first College Football Playoff rankings are unveiled, and several key games will air on Disney-owned networks, including the Florida-Georgia rivalry on ABC, Miami's face-off against SMU on ESPN, UCF's in-conference showdown against Baylor on ESPNU, and Florida State's homecoming game against Wake Forest on ACC Network. And that's not including all the other sports exclusive to ESPN that YouTube TV subscribers are missing out on. Regular NBA and NHL games are no longer available, and neither is the NFL's weekly "Monday Night Football" game.
When will YouTube TV get ESPN back?
Exactly when ESPN and other Disney-owned networks will return to YouTube TV remains a big ol' question mark. Per Variety, the two sides remain far apart on striking a new deal to bring them back.
According to Jacob Feldman at Sportico, YouTube TV and Disney are discussing launching a “skinny bundle” of select channels at a lower price point that's geared toward sports fans. It's something Fubo and DirecTV already offer, and YouTube TV could follow suit with its own sports-only tier.
As for where negotiations are breaking down, both sides are pointing fingers. In a statement to USA TODAY, Disney said it remains "committed to working toward a resolution as quickly as possible.”A YouTube executive involved in the negotiations, who spoke with Deadline on the condition of anonymity, claimed Disney has been "unnecessarily aggressive and assertive” in carriage talks so far. The company is reportedly demanding steep carriage fees for its broad portfolio of channels, including those with "flat-ish" viewing in recent years.
All that to say, at this point, it's anyone's guess when YouTube and Disney will kiss and make up. The last time YouTube TV had a blackout with Disney, it lasted over an hour, but when Spectrum lost Disney channels over the summer, subscribers lost access for days.
Get ESPN and ABC without YouTube TV
YouTube TV is our pick for the best live TV streaming service on the market, but if all this drama has you considering ditching your subscription, we don't blame you. Check out our round-up of the three best cable TV alternatives to tide you over until Disney and YouTube can play nice again.
If you're just looking for sports, DirecTV Genre Packs are the way to go. The MySports one includes ESPN Unlimited, and over 20 channels, including local ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC affiliates (varies by market) as well as FS1, NBA TV, NFL Network, TBS, TNT, and more. Right now, you can get MySports for $59.99 a month for your first two months ($10 off its usual price of $69.99 a month), or you can get MySports and MySports Extra for the same price (normally $82.99 a month) and get NFL RedZone added to your MySports plan.
Sports fans can also tune into the ESPN channel on Fubo, which offers a basic sports plan that's $45.99 for the first month before jumping to $55 per month. The plan offers 20 sports and broadcast networks from ABC, CBS, and FOX with national and local pro and college team coverage. Fubo's also throwing in access to ESPN’s new direct-to-consumer Unlimited plan, which includes ESPN Plus.
If it were me, I'd go with Fubo for one big reason: that seven-day free trial for new subscribers. Sign up, and hopefully, a week will be long enough for Disney and YouTube to iron out a new deal.
Another option is going through ESPN directly, as the ESPN app offers two plans with its new direct-to-customer service. There's ESPN Select, which gets you all digital-only games and programming for $12.99 per month. Meanwhile, with ESPN Unlimited for $29.99 a month, you get access to all games airing on ABC and the ESPN family of networks.
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