Sports fans were left fuming at the ‘greed’ of ESPN and YouTube TV after their full slate of weekend viewing was thrown into jeopardy over the two parties’ standoff.
With Disney and Google caught in a stalemate in their carriage dispute, YouTube TV, the popular chord-cutting streaming service owned by the technology giant, dramatically pulled every channel owned by ESPN’s parent company Disney late on Thursday night.
Among those channels was ESPN and its affiliate channels, which has left millions sports fans in limbo ahead of a blockbuster slate of sporting action this weekend.
ESPN and Google’s YouTube TV continued their in-fighting in twin blistering statements late on Thursday evening after ten million subscribers to the platform suddenly lost access to multiple channels owned by Disney, the network’s parent company.
Yet, as they continued their public bickering, sports fans began to turn on both companies as their panic over this weekend’s sporting events mounted.
With countless viewers now without access to the network’s jam-packed programming of NFL, NBA and college football across Saturday and Sunday, social media users accused the two parties of greed with one branding them ‘money hungry.’
Sports fans were left furious after their slate of weekend viewing was thrown into jeopardy
YouTube TV and the Walt Disney Company have not reached a carriage agreement
‘It’s like when your parents are fighting but both of your parents hate you and you just want to watch football,’ one Auburn fan posted ahead of the Tigers’ clash against the Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday night.
‘lol best efforts, yall f*** all the customers no matter what. Greed knows no ends,’ a second social media user wrote, referencing ESPN’s claims that were making their best efforts to reach a resolution.
‘Almost as if having only like 5 megacorporation conglomerates control all of media is a bad thing,’ another said, appearing to blame the current sports media landscape for the issue.
Meanwhile, another hit out, sharing: ‘ESPN calling Google a monopoly using their power to abuse others while they charge $30 a month for sports is ironic. F them both.’
‘Both blaming it on the other, typical. Bring back cable TV!’ urged another.
‘It’s like watching two trillionaire rats fight over a piece of American cheese,’ quipped a sixth.
ESPN had appeared to accuse Google and YouTube TV of prioritizing their own greed at the expense of their subscribers.
‘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,’ a statement from the network read.
Social media users accused both YouTube TV and ESPN of greed over their dispute
‘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.
‘With a $3 trillion 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.’
Yet, in a responding statement, YouTube TV seemingly placed the blame on Disney, claiming that it would not agree to the company’s terms if they disadvantaged their subscribers.
‘Members, when we renew our contracts with network partners, we advocate for fair pricing to offer you the best TV experience,’ a statement shared by YouTube TV’s X account read.
‘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.
This means that ESPN and ABC have now gone dark for over 10million Americans
In addition to college football, fans could miss this week’s Monday Night Football game
‘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.’
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.
Furthermore, if a resolution doesn’t come before Monday, the NFL and its Week 9 action will be severely impacted. The Arizona Cardinals are set to face off against the Dallas Cowboys on ESPN’s regular Monday Night Football programming.
