Millions of YouTube TV subscribers suddenly found themselves cut off from several key channels, including ESPN and ABC, due to a dispute between The Walt Disney Company and Google. This disagreement led to the abrupt removal of all Disney-owned channels from the popular streaming service late Thursday night.

As the negotiations continue between Disney and Google, the uncertainty has left many viewers in a lurch, with fans of live sports particularly affected. The timing is especially poor for college football enthusiasts, as they face the possibility of missing crucial games during Week 10 of the season.

In response to the blackout, ESPN released a statement expressing disappointment. The network accused YouTube TV of depriving subscribers of valuable content by rejecting what ESPN considers fair rates for their channels. The statement emphasized the impact on viewers, noting the loss of access to premier live sports programming, which includes major events from the NFL, NBA, and college football, featuring 13 of the top 25 college teams scheduled to play over the weekend.

This disruption comes amidst ongoing negotiations, as both companies strive to reach a new agreement that would restore access to Disney’s extensive lineup of channels for millions of YouTube TV subscribers nationwide.

In a statement released late Thursday, ESPN said, ‘Unfortunately, Google’s YouTube TV has chosen to deny their subscribers the content they value most by refusing to pay fair rates for our channels, including ESPN and ABC. 

‘Without a new agreement in place, their subscribers will not have access to our programming, which includes the best lineup in live sports – anchored by the NFL, NBA, and college football, with 13 of the top 25 college teams playing this weekend.’

YouTube TV and the Walt Disney Company have not reached a carriage agreement

This means that ESPN and ABC have now gone dark for over 10million Americans

The statement continued: ‘With a $3trillion 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.

‘We know how frustrating this is for YouTube TV subscribers and remain committed to working toward a resolution as quickly as possible.’

In a statement posted in a series of tweets on Thursday evening, YouTube TV said, ‘Members, 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.

‘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. This means you will no longer be able to watch channels like ABC and ESPN or access recordings from these networks in your Library.

‘We know how disruptive it is to lose channels you enjoy, and we’re committed to continuing to work with Disney to reach an agreement. If their content is unavailable for an extended period of time, we’ll offer our members a $20 credit.’ 

The statement from YouTube TV was met with hundreds of responses from angry sports fans – many of whom said they are finding ways to cancel their subscriptions to the platform.

If an agreement is not reached before Saturday, millions of Americans will be without the ability to watch college football on one of the most packed weeks in the calendar.

The blackout comes days before a high-impact Week 10 for college football fans

In addition to college football, fans could miss this week’s Monday Night Football game

Among the games being carried on ESPN and ABC that would be blacked out on the platform include the following:

• No. 9 Vanderbilt @ No. 20 Texas
• No. 10 Miami (FL) @ SMU
• No. 5 Georgia vs. Florida
• No. 12 Notre Dame @ Boston College
• No. 15 Virginia @ Cal
• South Carolina @ No. 7 Ole Miss
• No. 8 Georgia Tech @ NC State
• No. 18 Oklahoma @ No. 14 Tennessee
• No. 17 Cincinnati @ No. 24 Utah

Additionally, if this issue lasts through the weekend, then NFL fans will be without this week’s ‘Monday Night Football’ contest between the Arizona Cardinals and the Dallas Cowboys.

Outside of football, dozens of NBA and NHL games could be going dark for subscribers to the network. Next week also marks the beginning of college basketball season, with many games set to air on ESPN.

Over recent years, YouTube TV’s disputes over broadcast rights have frustrated sports viewers across the country.

This year, Google has been in carriage disputes with seemingly every single network with deep ties to sports, including Paramount (parent company of CBS), Fox, NBCUniversal, and TelevisaUnivision.

So far, Univision/TUDN – which broadcasts UEFA Champions League and LigaMX matches in Spanish – has yet to return to the platform. The other three disputes were solved before their respective deadlines.