College football fans, glued to their seats, were racking their brains about why the Florida vs Georgia matchup wouldn’t show up on their feed. The crux of the whole issue is a contract dispute between YouTube and Disney. Amid all the legal deals and contracts, ESPN has become collateral damage. So far, it appears to be a dead end.

Disney and YouTube’s previous contract expired on October 31. Back-and-forth communication regarding a new deal has been met with challenges, for neither side is ready to budge. YouTube has removed all Disney-owned channels. But as a temporary measure to prevent fans from missing out on their favorite games, it rolled out a $20 credit. However, it’s not a short-term refuge that fans are looking for. Examining how the saga unfolds, it looks like a knotted ball of yarn that won’t untangle.

Both media giants remain in a deadlock. According to a report by Awful Announcing, “the YouTube TV spokesperson tells Awful Announcing that the two sides are in alignment when it comes to the price for ESPN. The primary sticking point in the negotiation currently is the price of ABC.”

For the ESPN slate of games, there appears to be some forward movement. However, it’s the ABC slate of shows that’s holding up the negotiations. Disney is arguing that since ABC hosts more live shows, it should receive higher rates. Once exclusive to ESPN, Disney has moved more content, simulcast them to the ABC network, including the popular “Monday Night Football.” On the other hand, YouTube is arguing that Disney is ‘double dipping,’ as that content is available on ESPN, for which they are already paying a premium fee.

According to a report by Puck Sports’ John Ourand, YouTube is attempting to seek lower rates as compared to the three largest TV providers, adding that the social media giant does not want lower rates immediately, but rather, “wants to codify lower rates once it surpasses the three other distributors in subscribers.

By when will YouTube and Disney ink a deal?

Certain analysts believe that Disney might make a move on Thursday. Rich Greenfield of Lightshed Partners in a conversation with John Ourand stated, “I can’t imagine Disney going into earnings on Thursday without a deal,” for every day Disney sits on the stalemate, it faces a hefty financial crunch, losing $30 million in revenue every week, according to Morgan Stanley’s research analyst Ben Swinburne. He further added that, “it is such a big part of ESPN’s revenues and profits.”

It’s a major inconvenience to the fans, who are splurging their money on YouTube TV Premium and are not able to binge-watch their favourite games. Even football coaches are waiting for the YouTube-Disney deal to get sorted out. During the weekly SEC Coaches Teleconference, Kirby Smart was asked about his views on the whole episode. He admitted that he is “worried about it when I (he) get(s)home and can’t watch (YouTubeTV).”

For college football, fans won’t be able to enjoy matchups including Notre Dame at Pitt, Oklahoma at Alabama, and Texas at Georgia on the streaming platform. Marking the 13th day of the blackout today, it remains to be seen how this mega-fued pans out. Until both sides reach a mutual agreement, the blackout will remain in effect.

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