Robert Triggs / Android Authority
TL;DR
- YouTube TV viewers lost access to Disney-owned channels, including ESPN, as a result of a contract dispute at the start of the month.
- Now NBCUniversal is coming through with a new sports offering, as the NBC Sports Network debuts next Monday.
- YouTube TV gets the NBC Sports Network first, and it will later be available on Xfinity.
None of us enjoy suffering through the fallout of two big, insanely wealthy companies publicly spatting over their business arrangements — but that’s exactly what YouTube TV subscribers have been dealing with for the past two weeks, after YouTube failed to renew its deal with Disney. As a result, Disney’s whole slate of channel holdings, from ABC to ESPN, has been pulled from YouTube TV screens until something can be worked out. And while that stalemate continues, we’ve got at least some good news for sports fans who have been missing their regular fix.
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We know, it’s not SportsCenter, but sometimes we just have to take what we can get. NBC Sports Network promises “a wide range of marquee sporting events and programming from NBC Sports” including NBA, WNBA, Premier League soccer, MLB, Olympic sports content, and lots more.
YouTube TV viewers are first in line for NBC Sports Network access, with Xfinity set to join them soon, and other carriers somewhere further down the line. NBC flips the broadcast switch “on” next Monday, November 17, and while we suppose it’s possible you have your ESPN (and the rest of your Disney-owned channels) back by then … well, based on how things are supposedly going, we wouldn’t hold our breath.
If even this addition isn’t enough to lift your spirits, don’t forget that you’ve got a $20 credit to claim as a bit of an olive branch from YouTube TV as it tries to sort this whole mess out.
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