After failing to reach a renewal deal before the October 30 deadline, Disney’s lineup of channels has gone dark for YouTube TV subscribers in the United States. The blackout not only affects ABC stations but also cable networks like ESPN, FX, National Geographic, and Disney Channel. Both parties cite pricing as the key issue. While YouTube TV says Disney’s demands would raise customer costs, Disney claims Google is using its market power to push unfair terms. In the midst of this feud, MLB World Series coverage is likely to be jeopardized for baseball fans.

With ESPN and ABC’s blackout, fans will be missing out on all the ESPN coverage. Including their analysis and pre-/post-game talk that keeps fans updated. So, the timing is far from ideal for baseball followers. The Dodgers and Blue Jays will be clashing at Rogers Centre this Friday for Game 6.

Even if the viewers watch the MLB World Series on Fox, they’d still miss out on all the ESPN coverage and analysis. “We know how disruptive it is to lose channels you enjoy, and we’re committed to continuing to work with Disney to reach an agreement,” YouTube said in its statement.

According to YouTube TV, they will offer subscribers a one-time $20 (€17) credit if the blackout continues. All while the negotiations continue without a short-term extension.

Other than MLB, ESPN’s college football and NFL coverage are also among the major programs affected. There are roughly 10 million subscribers, and the disruption is far-reaching. Unlike the disputes that took place in the past, this one’s actually led to channels going dark. Local ABC stations are also off the air for now.

The timing probably couldn’t sting more for baseball fans, considering MLB finished the 2025 season with its third consecutive season of attendance growth.

But YouTube TV said it will remain committed to protecting its subscribers’ interests while continuing to work toward a fair deal with Disney. For now, let’s see how things unfold.

MLB attendance reaches 71.4 million in the 2025 season

MLB wrapped up the 2025 season with a total attendance of 71,409,421. It marked the third straight year of growth, something the league hasn’t achieved in 18 years (2005 to 2007). As the most-attended sports league in the world, MLB also crossed the 70 million attendance mark for the third year in a row.

Baseball viewership went up across the board this year. Be it nationally, locally, or on MLB.TV, or even in Japan. Most of the platforms saw double-digit growth. In fact, FOX had its best MLB season since 2022. It drew somewhere around 2.04 million viewers. That’s 9% up from 2024.

On the other hand, ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball had its best season in 12 years. They drew an average of 1.8 million viewers. That’s an impressive 21% jump from last season.

MLB Network had a big year, too. Its July 30th broadcast of the Rays vs. Yankees became the network’s second most-watched regular season game ever, drawing 708,000 viewers.

All of MLB Network’s studio shows also saw higher viewership compared to 2024. MLB Central was up 48%, MLB Now up 10%, Intentional Talk up 19%, MLB Tonight: National Pregame Show up 12%, Quick Pitch up 19%, and Big Inning up 18%.

It’s been a big year of growth for MLB. Now, with talks of a new broadcast partner, the landscape is definitely changing more than ever.