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SEC encourages fans to take action amid YouTube TV, ESPN blackout

by: Alex Byington10 hours ago_AlexByington
SEC on ABC
SEC on ABC logo, via ESPN

Amid an ongoing carriage dispute with YouTube TV, Disney/ESPN abruptly pulled its programming from the popular streaming service Thursday evening just before midnight ET. The Disney/ESPN blackout quickly created a stir online among angry YouTube TV customers, especially for sports fans eager to watch the upcoming Week 10 slate of the college football season.

The SEC, which signed a lucrative $808 million, 10-year media rights deal with ESPN in 2024 to televise its college football games on ABC and ESPN through 2034, took a clear side in the ongoing carriage dispute by telling its diehard fanbase to “take action” against YouTube TV in a social media post Friday morning.

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News of the impending carriage dispute broke last week when ESPN networks began airing ads encouraging customers to take action. The deal was due to expire Thursday night at 11:59 p.m. ET. YouTube TV has about 10 million subscribers.

“In order to deliver a wide variety of sports, news, and entertainment programming on YouTube TV, we enter into agreements with network partners. Each time we renew our contracts with these partners, we advocate for fair pricing and greater flexibility to offer our subscribers the best possible live TV experience,” YouTube TV’s statement to subscribers read. “Our current agreement with Disney has approached its renewal date, and we will not agree to terms that disadvantage our members while benefiting Disney’s own live TV products. Despite our best efforts, we have not been able to reach a fair deal, and starting today, October 30, 2025, Disney programming will not be available on YouTube TV.”

In addition to ESPN and ABC, networks such as SEC Network and ACC Network are also in the crosshairs. As of 11:27 p.m. ET, those channels – along with all other Disney networks – were not available on YouTube TV guides.

“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,” Disney’s statement reads. “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.”

More on the Disney, YouTube TV dispute

The timing of the carriage dispute comes at an important time in the calendar for ESPN. The NBA season tipped off last week, meaning the network has more marquee events in addition to Monday Night Football, NHL games and its college football schedule.

ABC, specifically, has gotten off to a dominant start to the college football season. The network has aired 21 of the 25 most-watched games of the year, led by Georgia’s overtime victory against Tennessee in Week 3. That matchup averaged 12.6 million viewers.

It’s also the latest carriage situation for YouTube TV, which held negotiations with other key media companies this calendar year. The company struck a deal with FOX in late August to avoid a blackout and landed another one with NBC in September prior to that deal’s expiration.

— On3’s Nick Schultz contributed to this report.