How to Watch ABC and ESPN for Free Without YouTube TV
For the third time in as many months, YouTube TV customers found themselves on the verge of losing a number of popular channels; this time, however, it actually happened.
As of 11:59 p.m. ET on Oct. 30, all YouTube TV subscribers lost access to all Disney-owned channels. In addition to heavy-hitters like ABC, ESPN, and the ESPN family of networks, the Disney lineup includes Disney Channel, FX, Freeform, and National Geographic.
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“Despite our best efforts, we have not been able to reach a fair deal, and starting today, Disney programming will not be available on YouTube TV,” YouTube TV said in a statement posted to X late on Oct. 30. It’s the last statement the live TV streaming service has made about the dispute, and there’s no update on when the channels could possibly be restored to YouTube TV.
Without the Disney-owned channels, here are just a few of the things you’ll miss over the next week and beyond if you don’t subscribe to an alternative:
- College Football Saturdays
- Monday Night Football
- NBA on ESPN
- World News Tonight and your local ABC news
- Freeform’s 30 Days of Disney (all month long)
- Michelle Obama: The Style, The Power, The Look on ABC (Nov. 2)
- The Lowdown Season 1 finale on FX (Nov. 4)
- Dancing with the Stars Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Night (Nov. 4)
- New episodes of Shifting Gears and Abbott Elementary (Nov. 5)
- The Golden Bachelor Season 2 finale (Nov. 5)
- New episodes of 9-1-1, 9-1-1: Nashville, and Grey’s Anatomy (Nov. 6)
It’s not fun to miss your favorite shows as they air, trust us, but there are solutions, including our favorite live TV streaming service: DIRECTV, which is offering some great deals to new subscribers in addition to a five-day free trial on all plans.
How to Watch ABC and ESPN for Free
DIRECTV offers a number of flexible plan options that include the affected channels, plus all plans come with a five-day free trial.
Check out some of DIRECTV’s most popular plans, broken down by how much they cost after a five-day free trial and what channels they include.
| Streaming Package | Price | Channels Included |
|---|---|---|
| Entertainment | $49.99/month for the first month ($89.99/month after) | ABC, Disney Channel, ESPN, ESPN2, Freeform, FX, FXX, Nat Geo |
| Choice | $59.99/month for the first month ($94.99/month after) | ABC, ACC Network, Disney Channel, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNEWS, ESPNU, Freeform, FX, FXX, Nat Geo, SEC Network |
| Ultimate | $84.99/month for the first month ($124.99/month after) | ABC, ACC Network, Disney Channel, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNEWS, ESPNU, Freeform, FX, FXM, FXX, Nat Geo, Nat Geo Wild, SEC Network |
| MySports Genre Pack | $59.99/month for the first two months ($69.99/month after) | ACC Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNEWS, ESPNU, SEC Network |
| MyEntertainment Genre Pack | $29.99/month for the first two months ($34.99/month after) | Freeform, FX, FXM, FXX, Nat Geo, Nat Geo Wild |
| MyNews Genre Pack | $39.99/month | ABC |
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This article was written by Angela Tricarico, Commerce Streaming Reporter for Decider, the New York Post, and Page Six. Angela keeps readers up to date with cord-cutter-friendly deals, how to watch your favorite sports teams and movies on each streaming service and the very best in tech, like soundbars, to enhance your viewing experience. Not only does Angela test and compare the services, devices and merch she writes about, but she’s also a superfan specializing in the intersection of shopping, tech and pop culture. Prior to joining Decider and the New York Post in 2023, she wrote about streaming and consumer tech at Insider Reviews.
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