What happened On October 31, 2025, YouTube TV lost the rights to carry Disney-owned channels after licensing talks broke down. As a result, subscribers saw ESPN, ABC and other Disney networks go dark just as a busy sports weekend — including ranked college football games and Monday Night Football — was under way.
Which channels are affected The blackout covers multiple Disney properties: ABC, the ESPN family of networks, Disney-branded channels, Freeform, the FX networks and National Geographic channels.
How this affects sports viewers With college football, the NBA, college basketball and NFL matchups scheduled in the coming days, losing access to ESPN can mean missing live games, studio shows and event coverage unless you use an alternate provider.
Ways to keep watching ESPN - Switch or sign up with a different TV provider that still carries Disney channels. Options include Cox, Dish, DIRECTV, Verizon Fios, Fubo, Hulu + Live TV, Mediacom, Optimum, Sling, Spectrum and Xfinity. These services offer live access to ESPN and related networks as part of their channel lineups. - Use an ESPN-enabled app or website if you have valid credentials from a provider that carries ESPN. Many p
