YouTube TV
Opinion

YouTube TV Yanks Disney, ESPN, SEC Network

YouTube TV
Written by:Danielle SolzmanPosted on:

At midnight ET, YouTube TV yanked ABC, Disney, ESPN, SEC Network, Freeform, National Geographic and the other Disney-owned networks.

(Sunday PM update: An agreement was reached.)

SEC Network
SEC Network

When I moved apartments in 2018, I made the decision to cut the cord after seeing how high the RCN bill was at the time. I don’t ask a lot of cable providers except for two things: the ability to watch the MLB Network and Kentucky Wildcats. And now, YouTube TV cannot even follow through on the latter requirement. Not when a number of Kentucky games are featured on the ESPN family of networks including the SEC Network.

For the time being, YouTube TV has decreased their monthly bill from $64.99 to $49.99. Their subscription fees used to be $34.99 a month! Here’s to a deal being made soon because this could not be more frustrating as a sports fan and a consumer. Along with the networks, you lose the VOD content and all previous recordings on the DVR. Alas, there will be no Jimmy Kimmel Live binges while The Late Show with Stephen Colbert is in reruns.

Say goodbye to

Your local ABC channel, ABC News Live, Disney Channel, Disney Junior, Disney XD, Freeform, FX, FXX, FXM, National Geographic, National Geographic Wild, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3 (by authentication to the ESPN app), ESPNU, ESPNEWS, SEC Network, and the ACC Network.

When you drop the biggest sports networks on the planet, you are not even worth the cost of your subscription. YouTube TV is persona non grata until they get their act together. I get bad depression at this time of year. Not having the SEC Network and ESPN will only make depression and this holiday season even worse.

I have an extremely tight budget. YouTube recommends paying for the Disney bundle. This isn’t exactly an option when my press perks include a free Hulu (No Ads) subscription. What the two companies need to do is just come to an agreement for fuck’s sake! It’s college bowl season so there’s a lot of college football airing on TV at this time of year. Moreover, there will be no rockin’ New Year’s Eve on the DVR.

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Danielle Solzman

Danielle Solzman is native of Louisville, KY, and holds a BA in Public Relations from Northern Kentucky University and a MA in Media Communications from Webster University. She roots for her beloved Kentucky Wildcats, St. Louis Cardinals, Indianapolis Colts, and Boston Celtics. Living less than a mile away from Wrigley Field in Chicago, she is an active reader (sports/entertainment/history/biographies/select fiction) and involved with the Chicago improv scene. She also sees many movies and reviews them. She has previously written for Redbird Rants, Wildcat Blue Nation, and Hidden Remote/Flicksided. From April 2016 through May 2017, her film reviews can be found on Creators.