Sports fans subscribed to YouTube TV experienced a scare earlier this year when the company was on the verge of losing NBC in October, losing access to Sunday Night Football. Now, YouTube TV subscribers could be in jeopardy of losing ESPN’s Monday Night Football and College Football Playoff broadcasts.
Owned by Google and YouTube, the streaming service has become a popular choice for sports fans moving away from cable. But in 2020, YouTube TV threatened to move on from Fox Sports Regional Networks and later agreed to a short-term deal, but Fox Sports RSNs (now Bally Sports) hasn’t returned to the platform since Oct. 1, 2020.
In September, following a public standoff, YouTube TV and NBC Universal agreed to a short extension to keep NBC-owned channels on the streaming platform. On Oct. 2, one day before Sunday Night Football, the two sides announced a new contract.
But YouTube TV subscribers could now be at risk of losing more sports broadcasts during the busiest time of year, following a statement from YouTube on Monday.
“We are now in negotiations with Disney to continue distributing their content on YouTube TV. Our deal will expire on Friday, December 17, 2021. We have not yet been able to reach an equitable agreement, so we want to give you a heads-up so that you can understand your choices.”
YouTube TV statement to members on Dec. 13, 2021
The monthly price would drop from $64.99 per month to $49.99, but the lost access to Disney-owned channels would have a significant impact on sports fans.
What sports channels are lost if YouTube TV loses ESPN, ABC
ESPN is broadcasting the entire College Football Playoff, with the CFP Semifinals set to begin on Dec. 31. The 2022 CFP National Championship Game, also broadcasted on ESPN, kicks off on Jan. 10 at 8 PM EST.
In addition to losing out on Monday Night Football and the CFB Playoffs, subscribers would also lose access to the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl (No. 12 Pittsburgh vs. No. 10 Michigan State), the Fiesta Bowl No. 9 Oklahoma State vs. No. 5 Notre Dame), the Rose Bowl (No. 11 Utah vs. No. 6 Ohi State) and the Sugar Bowl (No. 8 Ole Miss vs. No. 7 Baylor.
ESPN also broadcasts NBA games regularly. On Dec. 17, the Disney-owned network broadcasts the Golden State Warriors vs. Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers vs. Minnesota Timberwolves games. Additionally, the loss of both ESPN and ABC would eliminate access for YouTube TV subscribers to the five-game slate on Christmas Day.
Related: NBA games today – Full offseason schedule, including start of NBA free agency
YouTube TV said in its statement that negotiations with Disney are ongoing. If it is dropped entirely, the standard Hulu + Live TV package ($64.99 per month) carries all ESPN channels.