ESPN hit with brutal fact check as YouTube TV dispute drags on
ESPN’s victory formation came with a flag on the play.
The Worldwide Leader touted its audience for the “Monday Night Football” clash between the Cardinals and Cowboys as the “second-highest Week 9 audience since 2011,” drawing 16.2 million viewers across ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, ABC and NFL+.
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What’s missing, however — and as social media users and sports media pundits were quick to point out — is the context for that statement.
Last year’s Week 9 “MNF” matchup between the Buccaneers and Chiefs, supercharged by Taylor Swift’s presence supporting her now-fiancé, Travis Kelce, drew an average of 20.6 million viewers, meaning a year-over-year drop of around 21%.
How much of a difference the 10 million or so subscribers to YouTube TV — currently blacked out from Disney-owned channels as the media behemoths play out their carriage dispute — is fair to speculate on.
Football fans have been caught in the middle of the squabble, missing out on multiple high-profile college games and “MNF,” among other programming.
On Wednesday, Sports Business Journal reported the sides “remain far apart on price,” and despite ESPN’s insiders and on-air talent making public pleas to push YouTube TV, some have reached their breaking point.
“We’re all done with it,” McAfee said Tuesday of the social media requests from NFL insider Adam Schefter, host Scott Van Per, Mike Greenberg, Stephen A. Smith and others, on his titular ESPN-simulcast show. “And also, if you’re on TV, stop telling people to go to a website to save a multi-billion-dollar deal. Nobody cares what you have to say. There will be nothing that we say or any website that will be visited, that will get this thing — there are, I don’t want to say the exact names, but these people (with hands held high), let’s put our swords down. Let’s put our swords down for the good of sports.
“We need each other. Need each other. A lot of people saying ‘greedy corporate,’ it’s like, yeah. We need each other, especially with where sports are right now. And we’re in the middle of it, so let’s get that done. Let’s get that done. And stop asking me to go to a website. I don’t want to do that, so stop … All you’re doing is pissing everybody off even more. So it’s like, let’s just not do that.”
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.
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