The Monday Night Football broadcast with the former Dallas Cowboys QB Troy Aikman and Joe Buck will face a hiccup this week. But this will be only for YouTube TV viewers. Due to the ongoing carriage dispute between Disney and YouTube, both ESPN and ABC have been removed from the platform. It remains unclear how long the standoff will last or when a resolution might be reached.

The official YT page on X just announced that they “have not been able to reach a fair deal” with Disney. “This means you will no longer be able to watch channels like ABC and ESPN or access recordings from these networks in your Library.”

The video-sharing platform followed it with another post and shared that it’s working to reach an agreement. And if the issue continues for long, their subscribers will receive a $20 credit. Disney Jr. and National Geographic, as well as many more channels, have already been removed. This immediately sent shockwaves across social media.

One top comment read that they only watch YouTube for college football. There might be more such comments as this blackout comes before an important series of college football games set to be broadcast on ABC and ESPN (Disney owns 80 percent of the network). They will also miss out on the pre-game show, “College Gameday.” The blackout also includes programs across the NFL, NBA, NHL, and more important shows.

Now, the issue is reportedly about a price hike. Google has reportedly refused to agree to Disney’s offer. The latter had warned about the blackout on October 23 this year. And the only hope is that both parties are still working to reach a deal soon.

“With a $3 trillion market cap, Google is using its market dominance to eliminate competition,” a Disney rep said, “and undercut the industry-standard terms we’ve successfully negotiated with every other distributor.” It may have hinted at its recent deal to merge its Hulu + Live TV business with Fubo. “We know how frustrating this is for YouTube TV subscribers and remain committed to working toward a resolution as quickly as possible.”

It’s unlikely for the blackout to end before a resolution. However, one can only hope that both parties make a decision soon. Fortunately, Disney and YouTube recently settled their other old dispute.

Disney and YouTube wrapped up their dispute over an executive hire

Apart from the issue over the contract, both Disney and YouTube had another issue over executive Justin Connolly. He is the former president of Disney Platform Distribution. “A Notice of Settlement of Entire Case has been filed in this case,” read the order in the official record of all proceedings, filings, and events.

Back in June, Disney had filed a motion to stop YouTube from hiring Connolly. It claimed that the executive had knowledge of Disney’s content deals and negotiation strategies while he was still under contract. It further said that he also knew about their renewal deal with YouTube.

“Critically, Connolly leads the Disney team negotiating a license renewal with YouTube,” Disney said in its filing. However, a judge denied the restraining order, allowing Connolly to begin his new role as global head of media and sports.

The recent court filing confirms that both sides have agreed to settle. The final dismissal is expected by January 5, 2026, after certain undisclosed terms are met.