ESPN channels exit YouTube TV

Posted by Mike Florio on December 18, 2021, 12:27 AM EST
In this photo illustration the American sports television
Getty Images

If you have YouTube TV and you hope to watch ESPN, you’re currently SOL.

As of 12:00 a.m. ET on Saturday, all Disney-owned channels exited the popular streaming platform, leaving millions (yours truly included) without ESPN channels on YouTube TV.

That means no Monday Night Football, starting with this week’s Vikings-Bears game. Unless there’s some other way to watch it. We’ll try to figure it out before Monday night and let you know. If not, I’ll just watch The Office on Peacock after Raiders-Browns ends on NFL Network.

Hopefully, YouTube TV and Disney will get their crap together before Monday night. Earlier this year, Comcast and YouTube TV worked out a deal that kept all NBC-related channels on the platform. Disney and YouTube TV obviously failed to ensure continuity of service for their mutual customers.

The good news is that YouTube TV has vowed to drop the monthly price from $64.99 to $49.99. For plenty of users, the price will be dropping to $0.00, because they’ll be switching to some other service that has the ESPN channels.

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44 responses to “ESPN channels exit YouTube TV”

  1. I don’t understand why ESPN doesn’t just have a stand alone channel people can buy at this point. Plenty of people would take it, and they could bundle it like they do ESPN Plus with plenty of stuff they’re attached to.

  3. “That means no Monday Night Football, starting with this week’s Vikings-Bears game. Unless there’s some other way to watch it. ”

    If only there was some other way to view the game….

  4. Figures. YouTube TV is a model in how to do live streaming/ carry existing channels. Their main competition is “Hulu Live” which sucks but has the benefit of being owned by Disney/ESPN. I won’t change my subscription though. Back to watching at the bar or streaming Yahoo on my phone again

  5. Download the Yahoo sports app. You can watch the snf and mnf games as well as local games on your phone and if you are technologically advanced you can stream from the phone to the tv.

  9. Also a YouTube TV subscriber. A VPN and NFLGamepass.com/en (English Language Europe) is your friend. It’s mind blowing that these profit and greed mongers, Google, who made 19 BILLION dollars in profit in just the most recent QUARTER alone, an amount which takes Disney almost a year to make, can’t work out something to make this happen and NOT raise subscriber rates.

  11. Agreed. I started looking earlier this week myself. YouTube already doesn’t carry the Regional Sports Networks, so I cannot even watch the Cavs. Guardians I could care less about since their owner stated in an article many years ago, that he doesnt care about winning a World Series, thus I stopped caring about them soon after he bought the team. Looks like FuboTv was the best option to get the channels the Mrs. and I wanted. YouTube is now going to get Zero Dollars, like you pointed out above.

  12. Ironically the only reason I signed up for YouTubeTV instead of Sling was because Sling doesn’t have the local ABC channel.

  14. Go to DisneyPlus.com and get the bundle for $13.99.(ESPN, ABC, etc.) When YouTube and Disney work out their agreement, cancel and go back to YOuTube.

  16. Anyone who pays for YouTube TV and lives in a metropolitan area is an absolute rube. Practically every media outlet offers their broadcasts for free if you have a relatively respected ISP and can authenticate after you download the media outlets’ app. You can also watch the games on ESPN’s website after authenticating your ISP.

    You know what, ignore this post and pay for Fubo so you can watch sports.

  17. I only watch ESPN when there is a live football game that I’m interested in. I got sick of their nonsense awhile ago. I’ll miss a couple of games, if there is one I want to see I can use the $ 180 I’ll save every year to buy some beers while watching at the sports bar. Adios..

  18. I am sick of these big corporations contract disputes. My wife hates sports but 2 years ago she took a major liking to Hockey. Due to the contract dispute with Altitude Sports she could not watch any of the games even though we paid for the package that had Altitude. They offered us a $3.00 a month break on our bill. Wow! Thank you streaming world, now I can afford an extra gallon of gas in my tank. Without us fans there would be no private jets, fancy dinners, sports cars, and mansions. I’m not jealous but darn it let us watch our games on tv as I can’t afford to go to a game anymore!!! I’m even ok with pay per view for my Dolphins games living in Denver as long as you don’t try to charge $49.99 a game which I could see the NFL Doing.

  19. To many options for all of them to make it this was a huge loss for you tube not all will make it just like in the early days they were something like 100 auto companies you tubes days may be numbered .

  21. I’m happy about this and haven’t watched espn in years, can’t wait for the $15 savings a month.

  22. Who is chasing after ESPN? They are terrible. And the Mouse believes they deserve $15/month or more every month from YTV viewers? Here are 2 words to those greedy rodents: GOOD RIDDANCE.

  24. There are multiple streaming services that carry ESPN. In addition, most of these streaming services advertise free trials (usually 5-7 days in length)

    If you don’t want to cancel YTTV, just mix and match services+free trials to get through the end of the season (and the ESPN playoff game)

    Then you’ll have roughly six months to evaluate options for next season.

  29. Before COVID I could have a MNF happy hour routine. That deal went away with the pandemic so now that I can hear as well as see the game at home. Why is there a bouncy dance theme for player introductions? The list goes on. I finally understand why people hate ESPN.

    The fact that Disney feels entitled to that much money for garbage makes me wish that every provider would drop ESPN. Pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered

  33. In addition to not being able to watch MNF, I guess that also means I’ll miss ESPN’s popular cornhole tournaments.

  36. Unfortunately ESPN is the only broadcaster of the majority of the college bowl games. As a previous poster suggested, I’ll probably do free trials on other streaming services to get through bowl season.

  37. It was the politics that destroyed these networks. There’s a big difference between what you’re watching now compared to what was airing over fifteen years ago.

  38. If you’re confident in your computer’s security then try vipbox[dot]tv. Access to pretty much every game in every sport – more than ESPN 8. The Ocho.

  40. After all the complaining here is the answer. You are the only true censor. If you don’t like what they are doing, you have a choice, you can turn them off.

  41. I guess I am now old enough to have become that guy shaking fists at the clouds. Because I am still wondering why these companies wish to task me with paying $15 a month for a service that is still 30% commercials?

  42. There a bunch of streaming services out there where you can get EVERYTHING for 20.00+. I use one of them! But, I’ve been censored twice for naming it. (Probably 3 times now)!!!

  43. I am too busy with my job, family, other responsibilities to have to watch every NFL and college football game. Geesh, dont you guys have lives?

  44. People still watch ESPN?

    ————-

    MNF and college football! …no more talking heads, they spout useless drivel!

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