YouTube TV drops ESPN, among other channels, after failure to meet new carriage agreement

[Fenway]

Ho Ho Ho - Bah Humbug


YouTube TV drops ESPN, among other channels, after failure to meet new carriage agreement - The Boston Globe

YouTube TV dropped Disney-owned channels — including ESPN, ABC and its local affiliates, and FX — from its streaming service at 12 a.m. Saturday after a failure to reach a new carriage agreement.

ESPN2 viewers found out the hard way: The channel disappeared from the streaming service late in the FCS semifinal matchup between James Madison and North Dakota State.

While the dispute over per-subscriber costs was known — during ESPN’s Celtics-Warriors broadcast Friday night, several ads ran encouraging viewers to implore YouTube TV to agree to a deal — it is somewhat surprising that a deal was not reached by the midnight deadline. YouTube TV has reached last-minute deals in the past, including with NBC Universal in October.

YouTube TV, owned by Google, is believed to be the second-largest streaming service, with an estimated 3 million subscribers.

While it has said it would drop its monthly price from $64.99 to $49.99 while Disney content remains off its platform, it still risks alienating a massive chunk of its audience.

For instance, ESPN’s college football bowl schedule — which includes 41 games — kicked off Friday, and has seven games airing Saturday. ESPN also has the college football playoff semifinals Dec. 31 and the national championship game Jan. 10. YouTube TV subscribers won’t be able to watch any of them unless there is resolution.

YouTube TV carriage disputes are already familiar locally. The streaming service dropped NESN, the regional home of Bruins and Red Sox, on Oct. 31, 2020 when there was a live-sports void for regional cable networks. NESN remains off the service.

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[Look Up]

Too funny - youtube tv cancels espn.

 

[Shockmaster]

I bet FuboTV subscriptions are going to pick up today.

 

[jkrdevil]

Streaming services and these “skinny bundles” are basically for non-sports fans. If you are a sports fan cable is necessary and probably a better value.

 

[Spydey629]

I bet FuboTV subscriptions are going to pick up today.

Not necessarily. I thought Fubo was not carrying anything Turner yet?

I see the hockey fans jumping to Hulu Live.

 

[Shockmaster]

Not necessarily. I thought Fubo was not carrying anything Turner yet?

I see the hockey fans jumping to Hulu Live.

It does carry a lot of the RSNs in their respective markets.

 

[OG6ix]

Hulu + live is fantastic. Unfortunately I can't get it over vpn as they ask for zip code. The whole Disney bundle is great value - we don't have things like that on this side of the border. Bell and Rogers streaming platforms/content are absolutely trash for the money you pay.

 

[Shockmaster]

Hulu + live is fantastic. Unfortunately I can't get it over vpn as they ask for zip code. The whole Disney bundle is great value - we don't have things like that on this side of the border. Bell and Rogers streaming platforms/content are absolutely trash for the money you pay.

Do you guys have regional blackouts for streaming?

 

[OG6ix]

Do you guys have regional blackouts for streaming?

Not sure I don't stream via Sportsnet but NHL centre ice used to. There are times I cannot watch a game in other markets on Sportsnet and I'm not sure why like Vancouver even though I live in the greater Toronto area

 

[Spydey629]

It does carry a lot of the RSNs in their respective markets.

Yeah, I live in East Central PA. Actually had Hulu Live for awhile, which has both NBC Philly and DC.

But I’m a Pens fan, and the only option for AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh is Fubo.

And yes, all three teams are blacked out on ESPN+.

 

[Shockmaster]

Yeah, I live in East Central PA. Actually had Hulu Live for awhile, which has both NBC Philly and DC.

But I’m a Pens fan, and the only option for AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh is Fubo.

And yes, all three teams are blacked out on ESPN+.

Directv stream carries AT&TSN and has the Turner channels, but it's also about $20 per month more expensive than Fubo.

 

[awfulwaffle]

Are the cfb playoffs going to be shown on abc also or is it just espn?

 

[jkrdevil]

Are the cfb playoffs going to be shown on abc also or is it just espn?

Just ESPN. Them being exclusive to ESPN is a big part of ESPN’s subscriber fees.

 

[Spydey629]

Well then.... so much for that. If the worst thing missed was something called the "Jimmy Kimmel Bowl", I guess it all turned out all right.

YouTube TV announces new deal with Disney, adding ESPN & ABC channels back

 

[AdmiralsFan24]

Hulu + live is fantastic. Unfortunately I can't get it over vpn as they ask for zip code. The whole Disney bundle is great value - we don't have things like that on this side of the border. Bell and Rogers streaming platforms/content are absolutely trash for the money you pay.

Yeah the Disney Bundle is amazing. I even get a ton of use out of the Disney+ in the summer when my class comes back from a field trip and they're all tired. Just put on a movie or a TV show for a few hours and let them relax a little bit.

Just can't switch from my cable though. Just negotiate a new price whenever they jack it up again. If they won't play ball, cancel and go with a new company.

 

[OG6ix]

Yeah the Disney Bundle is amazing. I even get a ton of use out of the Disney+ in the summer when my class comes back from a field trip and they're all tired. Just put on a movie or a TV show for a few hours and let them relax a little bit.

Just can't switch from my cable though. Just negotiate a new price whenever they jack it up again. If they won't play ball, cancel and go with a new company.

Over here we really have two options for cable/satellite/fiber optic tv Bell and Rogers. Both collude with each other and deals are hard to get these days. They don't bend as much anymore. I personally prefer the convience of streaming across multiple devices and now all these smart tvs/apps have replicated cable behavior.