How would you feel if you cleared your entire weekend to watch your favorite team dominate Week 10, only to find the screen fade to black? That’s the reality for college football fans right now. With a stacked slate ahead, Ohio State vs. Penn State, Georgia vs. Florida, and Texas vs. Vanderbilt, millions of YouTube TV subscribers have suddenly lost access to Disney-owned channels. Late Thursday night, Google’s pay-TV arm confirmed that Disney had followed through on its threat to pull the plug after contract negotiations broke down. Still, where there’s a will, there’s a way, and before the final whistle blows this weekend, we’ll help you find one.

YouTube TV’s 10 million subscribers woke up to a blackout as Disney channels, including ABC, ESPN, FX, Nat Geo, and Disney Channel, disappeared from the lineup after the two sides couldn’t strike a new distribution deal. On October 31, YouTube released a statement on X that read, “Despite our best efforts, we have not been able to reach a fair deal, and starting today, Disney programming will not be available on YouTube TV. This means you will no longer be able to watch channels like ABC and ESPN or access recordings from these networks in your Library.” But what’s the hoopla all about? 

The conflict persisted over carriage fees. Disney said, “With a $3 trillion market cap, Google is using its market dominance to eliminate competition and undercut the industry-standard terms we’ve successfully negotiated with every other distributor.” What about the deal points?

Talks between Disney and YouTube TV have included the idea of adding more genre-based channel bundles. There are multiple games that fans would not be able to watch as they can no longer access YouTube TV. No. 9 Vanderbilt at No. 20 Texas has been scheduled on November 1 on ABC, No. 18 Oklahoma at No. 14 Tennessee – 7:30 p.m. on ABC, No. 17 Cincinnati at No. 24 Utah – 10:15 p.m. on ESPN. Thankfully for fans, the Ohio State vs. Penn State showdown is still safe as it’s airing on FOX, not ESPN.

YouTube TV promised users a $20 credit if Disney’s channels stay off the air “for an extended period.” With the base plan priced at $82.99 a month, that offer may be little comfort to frustrated fans. Disney fired back, accusing YouTube TV of refusing to pay fair market rates and “denying subscribers the content they value most.” 

For fans desperate to tune in elsewhere, here are a few alternatives. Among the options, DirecTV stands out as one of the most reliable choices for live sports. It’s MyNews package starts at $39.99 per month, and the best part? New users get a five-day free trial, making it an easy pick for fans who just want to tune in for the weekend’s big games without committing long-term. Also, fans have suggested a couple of good ways to watch these games.

Still, the outage couldn’t have come at a worse time.

Fans went furious as the ESPN-YouTube TV dispute rained on their weekend excitement

One of the users compared Disney’s standoff with YouTube TV to Le’Veon Bell’s 2018 contract holdout from the NFL. The former running back refused to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers all season because of a pay dispute. The fan wrote, “Sooooo we gonna get ESPN back on YouTube TV by tomorrow or is Disney really gonna LeVeon Bell us right before the weekend of football?” YouTube TV users on social media said they lost Disney programming even before the deadline.

Another fan came up with a sarcastic reaction to YouTube cutting the chords. Here came a list of quick alternatives for college football fans. He wrote, “We still have cable… No regrets. 🛑 YouTube TV sports fans: Disney blackout just hit HARD at midnight — ABC and ESPN are gone for over 10M+ users (RIP DVR highlights). That means MNF, college football (Tenn–Okla this weekend), NBA, NHL — all MIA. 👉 If this drags, expect a $20 credit from YouTube TV. ⚡ Quick swaps: Hulu + Live TV ($90/mo, full access) Fubo ($55 first month) ESPN+ ($11, most games) old-school OTA antenna for ABC broadcasts. Sports blackout szn, folks.” The free trial with fuboTV is both cost-free and fairly comprehensive, offering 230 channels. It gives access to ESPN, ESPN2, and ACC Network and a complimentary subscription to ESPN Unlimited.

Almost 25 games are impacted by the ESPN-YouTube TV tiff. A fan thus wrote, “College football is the only reason I subscribe to YouTube TV.” It was followed by a “Welp, see ya never” GIF. As the clock hits 12, 3:30, and 7, the TV hums with college football until the roar of the crowd quiets and late-night laughter takes over. But this week, only the cable TV users will get lucky.

An upset fan wrote a long letter to YouTube TV, stating how the fans never left its hands, even when holding a subscription left a hole in their pockets. “Hey @YouTubeTV Both of you are to blame. Disney wants more money for its channels, YouTube TV wants to pay less. When negotiations stall, you go public to apply pressure in an attempt to force Disneys hand. The reality is, when you guys launched in 2017 it cost $35/month. Over time the price jumped repeatedly: $40, $50 by 2019, $65 in 2020, $73 in 2023, and then $82.90. That outpaces inflation.”

College football fans might already be running on thin patience with the broadcasting hoopla. We have seen how FOX broadcasting the Deion Sanders’ Colorado vs Arizona game now depends on who wins Game 6 in the MLB between the Blue Jays and the LA Dodgers. Now that this ESPN-YouTube hoopla came up, a fan decided his final move: “Looks like I will be canceling my YouTube TV.” Sure, there are workarounds to catch the weekend games. But will YouTube TV lose its loyal fans in the meantime?