📡 YouTube TV and ESPN/ABC are officially on a break... [Update: Deal reached, all is good again]

[TerryP]

I saw a $20 credit from someone on here, and I saw $10 elsewhere. Reportedly, they pay Disney $15 a month for their programming. No way I accept $10, with YTTV making more off me without Disney than with them.

10 a day for six months now, I think? I haven't read the news today

 

[Brandon Van de Graaff]

Had to dig in the e-mail trash bin, but this is what they sent me the other day....

[td]

[td]

Hi Brandon,
‌
In order to deliver a wide variety of sports, news, and entertainment programming on YouTube TV, we enter into agreements with network partners. Each time we renew our contracts with these partners, we advocate for fair pricing and greater flexibility to offer our subscribers the best possible live TV experience. Our current agreement with Disney has approached its renewal date, and we will not agree to terms that disadvantage our members while benefiting Disney’s own live TV products. Despite our best efforts, we have not been able to reach a fair deal, and starting today, October 30, 2025, 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.
‌
We know how disruptive it is to lose channels you enjoy, which is why it’s our goal to bring Disney content back to YouTube TV. We’re committed to continuing to work with Disney to reach an agreement, but if their content is unavailable for an extended period of time, we’ll offer our subscribers a $20 credit.
‌
You can continue to watch Disney’s sports programming by signing up for ESPN directly. For more information on the impact to our 4K Plus and Spanish Plus add-ons, please visit our Help Center.
‌
Thank you for your patience as we continue to advocate on behalf of our subscribers and work towards a new agreement with Disney. We will continue to update our Help Center with the latest. As always, family managers have the ability to cancel anytime.
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We appreciate your YouTube TV membership.
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Sincerely,
The YouTube TV team​

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[c5vetman]

so has anyone signed up for the disney+, hulu, espn bundle that they're offering for 29/month? we don't watch anything but abc and sports anyway, no real reason to keep paying 82/month for YTTV...

 

[Secondand26]

so has anyone signed up for the disney+, hulu, espn bundle that they're offering for 29/month? we don't watch anything but abc and sports anyway, no real reason to keep paying 82/month for YTTV...

I kept YTTV & added the ESPN Premium temporarily.
The ESPN App will just shut off intermittently (pain in the ass) & I'll have to power off my Roku box.
I thought this might be a Roku issue, but none of the other apps (including YTTV) shut off like this.
Compared to over-the-air broadcasts, the ESPN app lags 30-45 seconds behind. The same EPSN broadcast on YTTV lags approximately 5 seconds behind OTA.
Getting ESPN App has allowed me to watch all of the games. It is a letdown compared to YTTV overall though.
**we already have Disney/Hulu standard because of my daughter subscribing to it years ago.
***Another note - you will only get ESPN on ABC broadcasts, not all of ABC's programming with the ESPN app.

 

[Brandon Van de Graaff]

I kept YTTV & added the ESPN Premium temporarily.

I may go that route. I assume it's the same ESPN app on my TV's that I already use for the ESPN+ stuff?

 

[TerryP]

I may go that route. I assume it's the same ESPN app on my TV's that I already use for the ESPN+ stuff?

I've been using it three weeks now. (I haven't tried to log on to Hulu or Disney, so set that aside.) I haven't had any issues other than I don't really care for the user interface. (I have read Hulu's interface sucks, so it makes a little sense.)

IF I was just looking for a feed to a Bama game this weekend? Sling seems to be the answer.

 

[Secondand26]

I may go that route. I assume it's the same ESPN app on my TV's that I already use for the ESPN+ stuff?

Yep. You just have to upgrade your account to ESPN Premium

 

[TerryP]

On the non sports forum I mentioned a site called radio garden a year or so ago. It's free radio feeds from, well, everywhere.

TV.garden is still out there and I'd bet you can get a ABC feed.

 

[Brandon Van de Graaff]

Yep. You just have to upgrade your account to ESPN Premium

For some reason, they sent me on a password changing goose chase, but I'm in.

 

[Secondand26]

For some reason, they sent me on a password changing goose chase, but I'm in.

Sucks that they have multi view, but you can’t pick the games

 

[rick4bama]

I put this in the Good,Bad,Ugly post. It need to be here too.

Disney+, HULU, ESPN. During the play, LSU had the ball in scoring!!!!!! My Disney+ with out completely, I had to reboot it and then with the way ESPN is, I had to get back to the game. It started back at the beginning. You would think that Disney own ABC, HULU, ESPN. I wouldn't have all this crap!!

 

[50+yeartidefan]

I put this in the Good,Bad,Ugly post. It need to be here too.

Disney+, HULU, ESPN. During the play, LSU had the ball in scoring!!!!!! My Disney+ with out completely, I had to reboot it and then with the way ESPN is, I had to get back to the game. It started back at the beginning. You would think that Disney own ABC, HULU, ESPN. I wouldn't have all this crap!!

Ah. Our high tech world. Aint it wonders
One reason i put ota antenna up.
But... somebody will find away to screw it upto

 

[PurlJam]

I put this in the Good,Bad,Ugly post. It need to be here too.

Disney+, HULU, ESPN. During the play, LSU had the ball in scoring!!!!!! My Disney+ with out completely, I had to reboot it and then with the way ESPN is, I had to get back to the game. It started back at the beginning. You would think that Disney own ABC, HULU, ESPN. I wouldn't have all this crap!!

Chinese hackers.

 

[Slickmullet]

So what's the best sports only option to watch games currently?

 

[Secondand26]

So what's the best sports only option to watch games currently?

As much as I hate to say this, The new ESPN plus Fox sports package for $39.99.
This is coming from someone who hates ESPN more and more each day.
However, this package would give you everything except college games on CBS or NBC.

 

[TerryP]

So what's the best sports only option to watch games currently?

Sling. One day pass on Saturday's and you have what you want.

 

[PurlJam]

We Have Tivo at our rental, no issues. Family back home signed up for the 5 day free trial of Fubo to get the game.

 

[Brandon Van de Graaff]

Sling. One day pass on Saturday's and you have what you want.

Sling's user interface made me want to waterboard myself last weekend. I thought ESPN's was bad (and it is too), but damn.

 

[Secondand26]

Sling's user interface made me want to waterboard myself last weekend. I thought ESPN's was bad (and it is too), but damn.

YouTube tv has the best system across all platforms (in my opinion) . The app on the iPhone is instant. I still can’t get the ESPN app to sign in on my phone. I’ll be glad to get back to normal

 

[Brandon Van de Graaff]

YouTube tv has the best system across all platforms (in my opinion) . The app on the iPhone is instant. I still can’t get the ESPN app to sign in on my phone. I’ll be glad to get back to normal

Agree.... I've been with them since almost the beginning and they are by far the best I've experienced. I need them to get this ESPN thing figured out soon so I can drop the ESPN package and go back to normal. The ESPN app sucks... sends you in circles some days when signing in, and that's just for starters. Even last night, when I flipped to the Bama game for the start of it, it said I wasn't allowed access to it. Hit the back button, tried again, and it worked. Shit like that is annoying.