Jan 12, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love (10) and Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) shake hands after the game in an NFC wild card game at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images Bill Streicher
The Green Bay Packers will host the Eagles on Monday Night Football next week in a matchup that could determine the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs. The more than 10 million subscribers to YouTube TV might not be able to watch it.
Andrew Marchand of The Athletic didn't paint a pretty picture in his latest story regarding the Disney-YouTube TV dispute:
That is where the YouTube TV versus ESPN brouhaha stands. The two sides are exchanging proposals, but remain far apart, according to sources briefed on the talks, as the “Monday Night Football” game of the year — the Philadelphia Eagles versus the Green Bay Packers — looms early next week.
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When these deals turn from stalemate to an agreement, it happens quickly. But there is pessimism at the moment, leaving 10 million YouTube TV subscribers to decide when and where to find alternatives for a second straight weekend.
Disney removed all of their channels — which include ESPN and ABC, where Monday Night Football airs — from the YouTube TV lineup on Oct. 30 as part of a contractual dispute.
In an effort to pressure YouTube TV, Disney had top talents like Stephen A. Smith make videos trying to frame the carrier as the one in the wrong:
YouTube TV customers: You may lose access to First Take, CFB, NFL and NBA games on ESPN and ABC. Head over to https://t.co/QCeJQoU6kj now so you don’t miss out. pic.twitter.com/77wlwvThL7
If you follow the link that you're told to in the video, it just takes you to a screen with links to bitch at YouTube TV:
If you click on the "learn more" tab, it brings up the following message:
Disney did actually restore ABC for election night on Tuesday, but then removed it again. No such decision was made for this week's Monday Night Football matchup. It's reasonable to think that there will be a lot more people upset — not just locally, but nationally — if Eagles-Packers is unavailable next week, as opposed to the relatively inconsequential Arizona Cardinals-Dallas Cowboys game earlier this week. Exactly who consumers will blame and what action they will take if the channels aren't soon restored remains to be seen.
