School soccer followers expressed frustration Saturday at being unable to observe essential Week 10 matchups on YouTube TV. ESPN and its household of networks went darkish on the streaming video service Friday, after YouTube TV’s present settlement to broadcast content material from Disney, which owns ESPN and ABC, expired.
YouTube TV and Disney stay at loggerheads in a dispute that facilities totally on the per-subscriber price that Disney will cost YouTube TV to entry Disney content material. Till the 2 company giants agree on a brand new deal, YouTube TV subscribers gained’t have the ability to watch ESPN channels, and followers of school soccer have been the primary to really feel the ache Saturday.
“We’re in the course of a season the place there isn’t a transparent favourite,” stated Andrew Safnauer, a YouTube TV subscriber and enterprise operations marketing consultant from Fort Mill, S.C. “‘School GameDay’ is a Saturday staple in our home. Not having it could be bizarre.”
To make sure that viewers wouldn’t be compelled to overlook “GameDay,” ESPN made the present obtainable without cost Saturday morning on the ESPN app — with no subscription or authentication required — in addition to on the “The Pat McAfee Present” account on X. Nevertheless, the day’s slate of school soccer video games, which incorporates No. 9 Vanderbilt at No. 20 Texas, the annual Florida-Georgia recreation and No. 14 Tennessee versus No. 18 Oklahoma, will stay behind the ESPN app’s paywall.
“It’s sensible to stream without cost like (ESPN) is that this morning,” Safnauer instructed The Athletic. “It makes them appear to be the great guys once I’m undecided there may be one on this debate.”
YouTube TV is the fourth-largest tv distributor in the US with roughly 10 million subscribers, but when its dispute with Disney results in a protracted absence of ESPN programming, the corporate may begin to lose subscribers.
“Who’s going to maintain YouTube TV and pay $90 with out ESPN?” Safnauer stated. “I really feel like they’re those who’re going to finish up blinking within the negotiation. ESPN has its personal app and Hulu to lean on — they may realistically maintain off, give us tastes like they’re right this moment, and power us throughout.”
Along with making Saturday’s episode of “School GameDay” free on its app, ESPN and lots of of its broadcast companions, together with the SEC, ACC and Massive 12, shared a hyperlink to a petition the place followers can urge YouTube TV to simply accept a deal and restore Disney’s sports activities programming.
SEC commissioner Greg Sankey shared a social media put up Saturday morning that appeared to encourage faculty soccer followers to maneuver from YouTube TV to Disney’s streaming service. “Drawback solved,” Sankey wrote, together with a picture add that recommended he’d up to date his Disney streaming account. “Loads of choices on this surroundings.”
Drawback solved. Loads of choices on this surroundings (saved a bit whereas making the change). pic.twitter.com/y7d51aBfUQ
— Greg Sankey (@GregSankey) November 1, 2025
In the meantime, TNT Sports activities host Adam Lefkoe poked enjoyable on the state of affairs whereas introducing the community’s Massive 12 protection Saturday. “A hearty ‘Hi there’ to everybody watching on YouTube TV,” he stated. “We don’t want you to ship an electronic mail or make a telephone name, simply hang around.” TNT is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, a competitor of Disney.
Many followers responding to an ESPN social media put up Saturday complained of feeling caught in the course of a battle between company media giants. Safnauer acknowledged that there’s little followers can do however wait — and hope that the events can promptly attain an settlement that enables YouTube TV subscribers to proceed watching faculty soccer on ESPN.
“Cliche, however content material is king,” Safnauer stated. “They’ve what customers need to watch. Once you management content material, you possibly can cost what you need — so long as the market pays for it. We’re irrational about spending cash on sports activities.”
