Monday Night Football has officially kicked off on ESPN and ABC, but YouTube TV subscribers remain in the dark. This reality became apparent late Monday evening when YouTube TV issued a statement rejecting Disney’s offer to reactivate ABC on its platform for Tuesday night’s election coverage.
If a new distribution agreement were imminent, YouTube TV likely wouldn’t have addressed programming scheduled for Tuesday night. As a result, approximately 10 million YouTube TV subscribers find themselves at a loss, unable to watch Monday Night Football between the Arizona Cardinals and Dallas Cowboys.
One would have expected that the Cowboys, of all teams, would have motivated both sides to reach a new deal. Networks rarely get the chance to air “America’s Team” and capitalize on the massive ratings they bring in every week. Likewise, YouTube TV isn’t eager to alienate the many Cowboys fans who might unsubscribe and switch to a competitor’s service due to the blackout.
Unfortunately, both sides remain at an impasse over price. Disney, holding valuable live sports programming across its ESPN family of networks, is leveraging the strength of its portfolio to negotiate the highest possible per-subscriber fee. Meanwhile, YouTube TV is pushing for lower rates aligned with those secured by the largest pay-TV distributors in the country, such as Comcast and Charter.
This standoff carries serious implications. NFL games are some of the most popular and widely viewed programming on television—especially when the Dallas Cowboys are playing. The fact that an agreement hasn’t been reached in time for Monday Night Football appears to confirm reports that both sides remain “far apart” on price.
Looking ahead, next Monday’s Monday Night Football matchup between the Green Bay Packers and the Philadelphia Eagles promises to be one of the most important games in the NFC this season. Missing one NFL game already sends a strong message that both sides are serious. Missing a second, featuring two Super Bowl contenders, would signal even more significant and potentially long-term issues.
Despite Monday’s blackout on YouTube TV, it’s still more likely than not that the two sides will reach an agreement relatively soon. Disney stands to lose roughly $5 million each day without access to the YouTube TV platform. Conversely, YouTube TV risks losing subscribers each day that Disney-owned networks remain unavailable.
There is clear motivation on both sides to resolve this dispute. The real question is: how long will paying customers be left holding the bag?
https://awfulannouncing.com/nfl/espn-dark-youtube-tv-monday-night-football.html