YouTube TV, boasting more than 9 million U.S. subscribers, is facing a significant shake-up. The platform subscribers lost access to ESPN networks after a breakdown in negotiations between Google and Disney. If you think about it, the timing couldn’t be worse with Monday Night Football disappearing. Now, while fans were left scrambling with Saturday’s CFB games, caught in the middle of a high-stakes corporate clash, Joe Pompliano issued a warning to ESPN for their latest move.

As this Saturday promises a packed slate of “9 ranked teams in 15 CFB games,” including Georgia at MS State, LSU at Alabama, and Cal at Louisville, ESPN’s College Gameday is gearing up for a huge weekend. That’s why on Wednesday, ESPN PR posted, “YouTube TV customers: The days ahead will bring more can’t-miss action. Go to keepmynetworks.com to get ESPN back!” But that PR move didn’t sit well with Pompliano, who has nearly 5 years of experience with his company, Huddle Up, since 2020.

“I can’t imagine a worse PR strategy than asking your customers to fix the problem you created, but ESPN and YouTube TV keep trying anyway. Great job, guys!” wrote the sports business expert. While Pompliano’s content has already generated over 2 billion impressions across various platforms, his words truly speak volumes.

Disney had asked YouTube TV to temporarily restore access to ABC on November 4 for U.S. Election Day. But Google rejected that request, saying it “caused customer confusion,” and instead proposed that Disney reinstate both ESPN and ABC permanently while negotiations continued.

It all started when YouTube accused Disney, warning its channels would go dark unless Google agreed to higher fees. “Last week, Disney used the threat of a blackout on YouTube TV as a negotiating tactic to force deal terms that would raise prices on our customers. They’re now following through on that threat, suspending their content on YouTube TV,” as per the statement from Google reported by the Sports Business Journal.

On the flip side, Disney’s statement read, “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. Without a new agreement in place, their subscribers will not have access to our programming.”

While that dispute not only affects coverage of CFB games but also the NBA and NFL, YouTube addressed an offer to its customers. If Disney content stays off their platform for a long time, subscribers will get a $20 credit on YouTube TV. But what about ESPN’s experts? Have they expressed anything about this problem?

Reactions to ESPN’s ongoing struggles

38 YO ESPN personality Pat McAfee didn’t hesitate, and neither did former NFL star J.J. Watt. While the ESPN and YouTube TV standoff turned thousands of fans into unwilling participants in a broadcast blackout, Watt was one of them. Watt confessed on The Pat McAfee Show that he missed out on ESPN’s coverage. “I don’t have the stuff. I can’t watch the ESPN shows,” stated Watt. “You told me to go to some website, I saw you do a PSA, and I didn’t go to it.”

Well, while ESPN’s College GameDay was unavailable through traditional TV, McAfee took matters into his own hands. He streamed it live on his X account, attracting 1.18 million unique viewers. “It was an honor to be able to stream that, shoutout to X,” said the ESPN personality. Although Watt fired back, joking, “No idea, I don’t even know if I can watch this show in my own house right now.” But beneath the jokes was real frustration.

Even Pat McAfee stated fans shouldn’t suffer because of corporate negotiations. They just want to watch the game, and that’s why this contract dispute needs to be figured out quickly. Hopefully, they sign, seal, and deliver the document so that sports fans can get back to the golden days of watching content without any concerns.