Countless NFL fans did not have the opportunity to watch Jacoby Brissett lead the Arizona Cardinals to a Monday night win over the Dallas Cowboys as the spat between Disney and Google continued. The end does not appear to be in sight.
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According to the Sports Business Journal, the two sides in this contract dispute remain "far apart" on price after Disney pulled its channels from YouTube TV on Oct. 30. The outlet noted that Google wants the price that key competitors (Charter/Spectrum and Comcast) pay. However, it has fewer subscribers than the other competitors.
The dispute began well before the weekend, but the consumers became the victims on both Saturday and Monday. They did not have access to ESPN's "College GameDay" on YouTube TV. Although Disney aired the show on its ESPN app for free and on X for the followers of "The Pat McAfee Show" feed.
The games, however, remained under blackout for YouTube TV subscribers. The same held true for Monday night's battle between the Arizona Cardinals and Dallas Cowboys.
"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," Youtube said in a statement on Oct. 30.
ESPN issued a statement the same day, saying, "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."
Contract disputes are far from a novel concept. Companies have squabbled over pricing for decades while the consumers have paid the price. Past examples have included Dish Network, DirecTV, and other TV providers. The latest squabble just negatively affects fans of football.
