Monday Night Football has officially kicked off on ESPN and ABC, and YouTube TV subscribers are still in the dark.
That reality became apparent late on Monday evening when YouTube TV issued a statement rejecting Disney’s overture to reactivate ABC on its platform for Tuesday night’s election coverage. If a new distribution agreement was imminent, YouTube TV would not have addressed programming happening on Tuesday night.
So on Monday, approximately 10 million YouTube TV subscribers find themselves in a lurch. Monday Night Football between the Arizona Cardinals and Dallas Cowboys is unavailable. One would have expected that the Cowboys, of all teams, would’ve been motivation for both sides to reach a new deal. Networks don’t get to air America’s Team, and the ratings they bring in, everyday. Likewise, YouTube TV isn’t exactly eager to anger hoards of Cowboys fans that may unsubscribe and go to a competitor service as a result of the blackout.
Alas, both sides are still at an impasse over price. Disney, with its valuable live sports programming across the ESPN family of networks, is seeking to leverage the strength of its portfolio to negotiate the largest per-subscriber fee possible. YouTube TV is seeking lower rates in line with the largest pay TV distributors in the country, like Comcast and Charter.
This is where things get serious. NFL games are the most popular and widely viewed programming on television. That’s especially the case when the Dallas Cowboys are playing. The fact that an agreement hasn’t been reached in time for Monday Night Football would seem to confirm reports that both sides are still “far apart” on price.
Next Monday, the Green Bay Packers play the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football in what will be one of the more important games in the NFC all season long. Missing one NFL game shows both sides mean business. A second missed NFL game featuring two Super Bowl contenders would signal something far more serious, and potentially long-term.
Even with Monday’s game staying dark on YouTube TV, it’s more likely than not the two sides will sort something out relatively soon. Disney stands to lose approximately $5 million each day it stays off YouTube TV. Conversely, YouTube TV stands to hemorrhage subscribers the longer Disney-owned networks aren’t available on the platform. There is motivation for both sides to reach a deal.
The question is how long will paying customers be left holding the bag?
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.