No ESPN Games for YouTube TV Subscribers

A great deal our readers expressed emotions ranging from confusion to outrage as they tried to turn on the Syracuse vs UNC football games tonight using their YouTube TV accounts. ABC and all ESPN channels were deleted at midnight last evening after Google and ABC failed to come to agreement and sign a contract.

Approximately 10 million people subscribe to YouTube TV’s service. Most sports fans haven’t even discovered the situation yet until they try to watch particular games tomorrow including:

• UCF vs Baylor
• Miami vs SMU
• Vanderbilt vs Texas
• Notre Dame vs Boston College
• Georgia vs Florida
• Virginia vs Cal
• Oklahoma State vs Kansas
• South Carolina vs Mississippi
• Oklahoma vs Tennessee
• Cincinnati vs Utah

How Long is the ABC ESPN Outage at YouTube TV Going to Last?

No official end date has been announced, as negotiations are ongoing and both sides have expressed a desire for a quick resolution. However, based on similar past Disney blackouts—such as a 13-day dispute with DirecTV in 2024 and a 10-day one with Spectrum in 2023—the outage could potentially last 10–14 days, though it might resolve sooner if pressure from sports fans (especially with college football, NFL, and NBA games affected this weekend) mounts.

Can I Get a Refund?

YouTube TV has stated it will issue a $20 one-time credit per household if the blackout extends beyond a short period. Affected channels include all ESPN networks, ABC (local stations and national), FX, Freeform, Disney Channel, National Geographic, and others—totaling about 21 live networks, plus any prior recordings from them in your library are inaccessible.