How to Watch Kentucky vs. Florida amid the YouTube TV vs. ESPN dispute

It’s another loaded college football Saturday, and for the second week in a row, YouTube TV’s subscribers are in the dark as Disney’s feud with Google drags on.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t sound like we’re anywhere closer to having ESPN channels back on YouTube TV. On Friday, The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand reported that Google and Disney are exchanging proposals but “remain far apart” in negotiations. The main sticking point is the price per subscriber that YouTube TV will pay Disney for its content. YouTube TV, which has about 10 million subscribers, wants a deal similar to those of cable giants Spectrum and Comcast, which have about 12 million subscribers each. Disney doesn’t want to give them that deal. Disney also wants all of its channels, sports and non-sports, included in the new agreement, while YouTube TV doesn’t want to have to pass along costs to its consumers for infrequently-watched channels like Freeform. YouTube TV wants a “Most Favored Nation” clause, which would ensure that YouTube TV won’t pay more than what other companies negotiate with Disney in the future.

Disney is losing an estimated $5 million per day due to the stalemate, and ESPN’s ratings are down. ESPN tried to appease sports fans by offering College Gameday for free on the ESPN app for the second week in a row. Pat McAfee streamed it on his Twitter feed, but earlier in the week, he blasted his coworkers for playing a part in the dispute and said he believes YouTube TV is the superior way to watch sports.

Unlocking College Gameday is where the goodwill ends. There’s another full slate of college football games today, six in the SEC, all exclusively on the ABC/ESPN networks. The best Monday Night Football game of the year takes place on Monday between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Green Bay Packers. Here in the Bluegrass, we’ve got a huge football game vs. Florida tonight and a Kentucky Women’s Basketball game AND a Volleyball match vs. Tennessee on Sunday, all under the ESPN umbrella, not to mention Tuesday’s massive game vs. Louisville. Can you imagine the uproar in the state if this isn’t resolved by then?

If you’re among the millions of YouTube TV subscribers affected by the dispute, here is how you can watch the Cats this weekend, starting with tonight’s game vs. Florida at 7:30 p.m. ET on the SEC Network.

ESPN Unlimited

This is probably the simplest way to ensure you can watch the game, although you’re playing right into Disney’s hands. Disney launched ESPN Unlimited ahead of football season. It offers all the ESPN content you could dream of, including live broadcast channels and streams, without a separate cable or streaming plan required.

It ain’t cheap. ESPN Unlimited is $29.99/month; however, it will include all Kentucky games broadcast by any ESPN channel or platform (ESPN, SECN, SECN+, etc.). You can also bundle Disney Plus, Hulu, and ESPN Unlimited for just $29.99/month for 12 months.

Note: ESPN Unlimited is separate from ESPN Select (formerly ESPN+), a standalone ESPN subscription option that includes ESPN+ content. ESPN Select won’t include Kentucky games –including SEC Network+ — if you have YouTubeTV as your TV provider until the dispute is resolved.

Hulu + Live TV

Disney also owns Hulu, so if you’re looking to part ways with YouTube TV altogether, Hulu + Live TV could be a good alternative. It’s similar to YouTube TV in terms of channel offerings and user interface, and, since it’s owned by Disney, it comes with ESPN Unlimited and Disney+. Right now, you can get Hulu + Live TV for just $64.99/month for the first three months. Once that’s up, the price reverts to $89.99/month.

Fubo TV 

Another Disney-owned alternative to YouTube TV is Fubo TV with the Sports and News package, which includes local broadcast channels (minus NBC) and ESPN channels, including SEC Network and SEC Network+. It’s $55.99 per month and includes access to ESPN Unlimited, but you can get a free five-day trial, which would ensure you can watch the football game vs. Florida tonight, Sunday’s women’s basketball and volleyball games, and the Louisville game on Tuesday night.

DirecTV Stream

DirecTV offers a variety of options that include ESPN’s channels (including the SEC Network and SEC Network+) and ESPN Unlimited. The entertainment package is the cheapest, at $49.99/month, but it also offers a free five-day trial, which would ensure you can watch the football game vs. Florida tonight, Sunday’s women’s basketball and volleyball games, and the Louisville game on Tuesday night.

Sling Day Pass

If you want to stick with YouTube TV in hopes a deal is made soon, but want a way to watch tonight’s game, you can get a day pass from Sling. For $4.99, you’ll get 24 hours of access to Sling Orange with unlimited streaming on one device. A weekend pass (Friday to Sunday) costs $9.99. Note: to access the SEC Network, it’s $1 more per day.

KSBar & Grille

If you’re in the Lexington area, come on down to KSBar and Grille, where we have all the channels and will be showing all the games. Plus, we’ve got great food and drinks.

YouTube

Also known as the Shannon the Dude method. If you don’t want to spend another dollar, you can probably find a pirated stream on YouTube. We tried this on Tuesday, and there were several streams for Kentucky vs. Nicholls. There may be a bigger delay than what you’re used to with YouTube TV, but as the dispute rolls on, I have a feeling more and more streams will pop up. YouTube certainly doesn’t seem to be censoring them. Ryan Lemond may disagree, but you certainly don’t have to tip them.

I hear there are other sites, but for their own good, I won’t put their names out there and increase the risk they get shut down. People are sharing their finds on KSBoard.

Kentucky vs. Florida: How to Watch, Listen

• Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. ET
• TV: SEC Network (Tom Hart, Jordan Rodgers, Cole Cubelic)
• Local Radio: UK Sports Network (Tom Leach, Jeff Piecoro, Dick Gabriel)
• AM: 840 WHAS, 630 WLAP
• FM: 98.1 WBUL
• Online: iHeart Radio
• Sirius XM: 106 or 190

You can also follow along on the KSR LIVE BLOG, which will start a few hours before kickoff, and join the conversation on KSBoard.

Take advantage of our KSR+ Introductory Offer to get bonus coverage of the Cats, including game threads, in-depth scouting reports, and the latest recruiting and roster intel. $1 for a week.