Sports Streaming Faces Major Frustrations for Fans
Watching sports online is more accessible than ever, but hardcore fans determined to catch every game of their favorite team face increasing complications. The recent blackout on YouTube TV’s Monday Night Football highlights these ongoing issues.
The Conflict Behind the Blackout
This week, former NFL star JJ Watt expressed his frustration publicly. Having played for the Houston Texans for nearly ten years, Watt took to X to share his disappointment:
“Just frustrating. All of it.”
Watt’s anger stems from a carriage dispute between Disney and YouTube TV. On October 30th, ESPN and several other Disney-owned networks were removed from the Google-owned pay TV service due to disagreements over the fees YouTube TV must pay to carry Disney's networks. Both companies have rejected the other's financial terms as unreasonable.
Impact on Subscribers
- About 10 million YouTube TV subscribers lost access to ESPN and Monday Night Football during the dispute.
- Some dedicated fans turned to trials of competing streaming services such as Hulu Live or Fubo to keep watching games.
- JJ Watt decided against subscribing to additional streaming platforms, stating,
“I’m not paying for another streaming subscription.”
Newsletter Context
This situation was covered in Lowpass, a weekly newsletter by Janko Roettgers, focusing on the technology and entertainment intersection, syndicated exclusively for The Verge subscribers.
Author’s summary: Despite sports streaming's growth, disputes like Disney vs. YouTube TV cause frustrating blackouts, leaving devoted fans like JJ Watt at a loss and unwilling to juggle multiple subscriptions.