How to Watch Live Sports on YouTube TV During the Disney-DirecTV Dispute

Many football fans faced an unwelcome broadcast blackout ahead of Sunday’s much-anticipated college football match between No. 13 LSU and No. 23 USC.

A contract dispute between DirecTV and Disney led Disney to remove a large portion of its programming from DirecTV servers yesterday, leaving DirecTV owners without channels such as ESPN, ESPN2, ACC Network and SEC Network. Non-sports-related channels such as Disney Channel, FX and National Geographic were also removed.

College football is not the only sport affected. ESPN is broadcasting the US Open tennis championships this week, as well as the NFL’s Week 1 Monday Night Football match between the New York Jets and the San Francisco 49ers.

With so many people at risk of missing out on the opportunity to watch these events, fans are looking for alternative ways to watch, and one particular platform seems to be capitalizing on this.

Across the internet, people are turning to YouTube TV to satisfy their craving for all things Disney, including sports. Many of them said they are happy with the service. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s right for you. Here’s what YouTube TV has to offer before you sign up:

What is YouTube TV?

YouTube TV is the television streaming service of the popular video-sharing website YouTube. YouTube TV offers over 100 channels to watch and/or record, and markets itself as a way for people to watch TV without being locked into a contract.

YouTube TV also recently began offering custom sports viewing options with features like fantasy view and multi-view, allowing fans to watch multiple games at the same time.

While these features seem great, fans have reported that multi-view is difficult to customize.

What sports channels are offered on YouTube TV?

The basic YouTube TV package includes ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS Sports, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, FS1, FS2, The Golf Channel, NBA TV, NBC Universo, NBCSN, NFL Network, SEC Network, TNT, Telemundo, truTV and USA Network all broadcast a variety of sporting events.

You can also add channels like NBA League Pass, YouTube TV Sports+, and WNBA League Pass.

YouTube TV also offers fans NFL Sunday Ticket throughout the NFL season for an additional fee.

How much does YouTube TV cost?

YouTube TV’s basic package costs $72.99 per month, but for the first four months you only pay $64.99 for the service.

What’s going on between Disney and DirecTV?

A five-year contract between Disney and DirecTV that allows DirecTV to broadcast Disney-owned content expired on September 1. The two sides have negotiated a new contract but have been unable to reach an agreement before the contract expires and do not appear to be close to an agreement.

The dispute has reportedly intensified over the past week. DirecTV subscribers who watch ESPN received alerts informing them that they may lose access to ESPN and related networks. The messages then urged viewers to visit KeepMyESPN.com for more information. Disney said on its website: “We continuously work with our Cable, Satellite, Telco and Streaming distribution partners to continue to offer fans our networks on their TV channel lineups. Disney Entertainment has a highly successful track record of negotiating with providers of all types and sizes across the country and is committed to reaching fair, market-based rates and terms.”

How long will this blackout last?

It’s unclear. This time last year, a dispute between Disney and Spectrum’s parent company, Charter Communications, led to a two-week blackout. According to DirecTV’s chief content officer, Rob Toon, “there’s nobody in a room talking at this point,” which doesn’t bode well for a quick resolution to the dispute.