How long will YouTube-Disney battle last? Scary precedents exist
Football fans might be blacked out a bit longer than anyone wants to admit.
Disney and YouTube TV are a week into a broadcast dispute that has forced ESPN and ABC networks to come off the online streaming platform for its estimated 10 million users.
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It would appear that YouTube TV subscribers are now at risk of missing Week 10’s heavyweight “Monday Night Football” game between the Eagles and Packers this week, after Week 9’s Cardinals-Cowboys game was unavailable on the service.
The Athletic reported that the sides are exchanging proposals to get a deal done, but remain “far apart” on a deal.
The number of unhappy YouTube TV users will continue to grow with many looking for alternatives to watch a big NFC showdown this weekend.
Disney has had blackout disruptions on major providers in each of last two years, having an 11-day dispute with Charter in 2023 and a 13-day battle with DirecTV in 2024.
How to watch ESPN and ABC for free without YouTube TV
There are a few other live TV streaming services offering great deals and channels that YouTube TV customers no longer have access to.
DIRECTV offers a free 5-day trial covering all the affected channels with plans starting at just $49.99/month for your first month. That unlocks NFL, NBA, NHL, and college football across ESPN, ABC, and more, plus regional sports networks in most markets, all for one price.
If you’re not ready to commit to a full subscription and just want to catch a night of sports on ESPN, Sling TV is an excellent alternative due to the unmatched flexibility it offers with plans that include one-day passes. Sling Orange Day Passes are priced at $4.99, and you’ll get 24 hours of access to all Sling TV Orange has to offer, including ESPN and ESPN2.
Monday would be Day 11 of the standoff with YouTube TV.
Variety reported that 24 percent of its users have canceled or plan to cancel their YouTube TV subscriptions soon.
Disney argues that YouTube, owned by Google’s parent company Alphabet, is “refusing to pay fair rates for our channels.”
YouTube argues that these price hikes will be passed down to its users through higher subscription fees.
YouTube TV’s backbone is live sports, and it originally launched at $35 per month in 2017 and has since ballooned to $80-plus per month.
Surely the big “Monday Night Football” matchup, which profiles as a potential NFC Championship game preview between the Packers and Eagles, is a major leverage chip for Disney, but it remains to be seen whether their customers will actually be able to watch it.
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