This weekend marks the end of Daylight Saving Time, as clocks will get turned back by one hour in the early-morning hours on Sunday. For many, that means one more hour of watching what could be a fascinating college football slate that includes a matchup of Top 25 teams when Cincinnati visits Utah, which kicks off at 10:15 p.m. Eastern.
However, some sports fans might be left out in the cold.
Due to an ongoing carriage dispute between Disney and YouTube TV, Disney pulled its networks off the streaming giant on Thursday night, including both ESPN and ABC. That could leave not just college football fans, but NFL and NBA fans, frozen out of the action until a resolution is reached.
Per the Associated Press, YouTube is the largest internet TV provider in the U.S. with more than 9 million subscribers.
Looking just at college football, YouTube TV subscribers could miss out on these Top 25 games if an agreement is not reached before kickoff on Saturday:
- No. 9 Vanderbilt @ No. 20 Texas
- No. 10 Miami (FL) @ SMU
- No. 5 Georgia vs. Florida
- No. 12 Notre Dame @ Boston College
- No. 15 Virginia @ Cal
- South Carolina @ No. 7 Ole Miss
- No. 8 Georgia Tech @ NC State
- No. 18 Oklahoma @ No. 14 Tennessee
- No. 17 Cincinnati @ No. 24 Utah
In addition, ESPN and ABC are set to broadcast Monday Night Football featuring the Dallas Cowboys and the Arizona Cardinals, should the dispute last beyond the weekend. ESPN is also set to air NBA games next week, including the Minnesota Timberwolves against the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs against the Los Angeles Lakers, two games that will generate a lot of interest.
Men’s college basketball also begins next week, with Duke set to take on Texas Tuesday night in a game scheduled to air on ESPN. On the women’s side, ESPN is slated to air Duke at Baylor Monday afternoon, a matchup of Top 25 teams.
In a statement, Disney/ESPN pointed to YouTube TV’s market cap and Google’s “market dominance”
“Unfortunately, Google’s YouTube TV has chosen to deny their subscribers the content they value most by refusing to pay fair rates for our channels, including ESPN and ABC.
“Without a new agreement in place, their subscribers will not have access to our programming, which includes the best lineup in live sports – anchored by the NFL, NBA, and college football, with 13 of the top 25 college teams playing this weekend.’
“With a $3 trillion market cap, Google is using its market dominance to eliminate competition and undercut the industry-standard terms we’ve successfully negotiated with every other distributor.
“We know how frustrating this is for YouTube TV subscribers and remain committed to working toward a resolution as quickly as possible.”
In addition, ESPN turned to some of the network’s biggest names to take to social media:
YouTube TV, as you might expect, pinned the blame on Disney while floating a potential $20 credit to subscribers:
“Members, when we renew our contracts with network partners, we advocate for fair pricing to offer you the best TV experience. Our contract with Disney has reached its renewal date, and we’ll not agree to terms that disadvantage our members while benefiting Disney’s TV products.
“Despite our best efforts, we have not been able to reach a fair deal, and starting today, 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, and we’re committed to continuing to work with Disney to reach an agreement. If their content is unavailable for an extended period of time, we’ll offer our members a $20 credit.”
It is almost enough to make one miss traditional cable …