Sports
How to watch sports with YouTube TV amid Disney-DirecTV dispute?
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Straight Arrow News
Many football fans were treated to an unwelcome blackout prior to Sunday’s highly-anticipated college football matchup between No. 13 LSU and No. 23 USC.
Due to a contract dispute between DirecTV and Disney, Disney pulled most of its programming from DirecTV servers yesterday, leaving DirecTV owners without channels like ESPN, ESPN2, ACC Network, and SEC Network. Non-sports related channels like Disney Channel, FX, and National Geographic were pulled as well.
College football isn’t the only sport affected either. ESPN is in the middle of broadcasting the U.S. Open Tennis Championships this week, and ESPN will also be broadcasting the NFL‘s Week 1 Monday Night Football game between the New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers.
With so many people at risk of losing out on the opportunity to watch these events, fans are looking for alternative methods of viewing, and one particular platform seems to be taking advantage.
People across the internet have started turning to YouTube TV in order to satisfy their need for all things Disney, including sports. Many of them expressed satisfaction with the service. However, that does not necessarily mean it would be right for you. Here is what YouTube TV has to offer before signing up.
MORE ON THIS: Disney-DirecTV dispute: ESPN and other channels go dark on pay TV system
What is YouTube TV?
YouTube TV is a television streaming service run by the popular video-sharing website YouTube. It offers over 100 channels to watch and/or DVR, and YouTube TV markets itself as a way for people to watch TV without getting locked into contracts.
YouTube TV has also started recently offering custom sports viewing options with features like “fantasy view” and “multi-view” allowing fans to watch multiple games at the same time.
While these features do seem great, fans have reported struggles customizing their multi-views.
What sports channels does YouTube TV offer?
The base plan for YouTube TV includes ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS Sports, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, FS1, FS2, The Golf Channel, NBA TV, NBC Universo, NBCSN, NFL Network, SEC Network, TNT, Telemundo, truTV, and USA Network, all of which broadcast various sporting events.
You can also elect to add on additional channels like NBA League Pass, YouTube TV Sports+, and WNBA League Pass among others.
YouTube TV also offers NFL Sunday Ticket for an additional fee to fans throughout the NFL season.
How much does YouTube TV cost?
The base YouTube TV plan costs $72.99 a month, but the service does offer itself for $64.99 for customers’ first four months.
What is going on between Disney and DirecTV?
A five-year contract between Disney and DirecTV that enabled DirecTV to air Disney-owned content expired on September 1. While both parties had been negotiating a new contract, they were not able to come to an agreement before the expiration date and it appears they are not close to reaching a deal either.
According to reports, the dispute had been heating up over the course of the last week. DirecTV subscribers watching ESPN would see alerts informing them that they could lose access to ESPN and the corresponding networks. The message then instructed viewers to visit KeepMyESPN.com to learn more. On the website, Disney says, “We continuously work with our Cable, Satellite, Telco and Streaming distribution partners to continue to offer fans our networks on their TV channel lineups. Disney Entertainment has a highly successful track record of negotiating with providers of all types and sizes across the country and is committed to reaching fair, market-based rates and terms.”
How long will this blackout last?
It is unclear. Around this time last year, a dispute between Disney and Spectrum’s parent company Charter Communications led to a two-week blackout. According to DirecTV’s chief content officer, Rob Thun, “there’s nobody in a room talking at this point.” That does not bode well for a quick solution to this dispute.
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