A wild and bizarre Week 9 of the 2025 NFL season comes to a conclusion tonight when the Arizona Cardinals take on the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football.
But some sports fans might miss out on the final game of the week.
The ongoing carriage dispute between Disney and YouTube TV has lingered into a new week, meaning the subscribers to the streaming service could miss tonight’s game. When a deal could not be reached between Disney and YouTube TV before the expiration of the previous contract, Disney pulled its networks off the streaming giant on Thursday night, including both ESPN and ABC.
Per the Associated Press, YouTube is the largest internet TV provider in the U.S. with more than 9 million subscribers.
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.”
The latest reporting on the dispute makes it seem as if a deal might not come anytime soon. According to Deadline, an executive with YouTube TV described Disney as being “unnecessarily aggressive and assertive” in the negotiations, going on to say that the entertainment giant has an “antiquated view” of television.
“There are aspects of their portfolio that are doing well on our platform,” said the anonymous executive as quoted by Deadline. “But remember, they have a very broad portfolio of channels where viewership on many networks is in decline or non-existent.”
As Deadline noted, sports are a strength of Disney’s portfolio.
“They still have this very antiquated view that the customer should be forced to pay for the full portfolio,” added the executive.
Monday Night Football is not the only major sporting event on today’s calendar that could be impacted by the ongoing dispute. Men’s and women’s college basketball return this week, with ESPN slated to broadcast a highly anticipated meeting between Texas and No. 6 Duke on the men’s side on Tuesday night.
Returning to tonight’s Cowboys-Cardinals game, if you are a YouTube TV subscriber you still have options. Streaming alternatives such as Fubo and Sling are available, as is ESPN’s own direct-to-consumer streaming service ESPN Unlimited. If you are interested in that option there are two levels to select from: ESPN Unlimited and ESPN Select. ESPN Unlimited will run you $29.99 per month or $299.99 per year, while ESPN Select is $12.99 per month or $129.99 per year.
Perhaps tonight’s game is not worth it, but if this dispute lingers, this could be an option down the road.
