The YouTube TV Disney blackout continues: How to watch college football on ESPN, ABC and more
It doesn't look like Disney-owned channels including ABC and ESPN will be returning to YouTube TV anytime soon. The Walt Disney Co. pulled its channels from YouTube TV as of midnight on Oct. 30 after the two companies failed to reach new terms on their latest carriage agreement and the spat is showing no signs of a resolution yet. While big sporting events are often where the rubber meets the road on these channel blackouts, YouTube TV subscribers were unable to see any college football games on ABC or ESPN all weekend, and it's looking like this weekend will be just as frustrating for sports fans.
YouTube TV had previously stated that if Disney’s channels remain off the platform for an extended period, customers will receive a $20 monthly credit. YouTube has confirmed this credit hasn't been activated yet for customers, but if and when it is, the discount provides little consolation if you want to watch this weekend's college games or your favorite shows like Abbott Elementary, Grey's Anatomy and Dancing with the Stars the night they air. If you do want to watch any live shows or sports this week, you'll need to seek out alternative viewing methods. And unfortunately for YouTube TV's negotiating position, there are plenty of options.
One of the cheapest ways to watch ESPN is with a Sling Day Pass — for just $5/day, you can tune into any and all ESPN programming with no other commitments. If you want a full switch from YouTube TV, there's Hulu + Live TV, DirecTV, or Fubo, where you can watch all the Disney-owned channels. (Remember, unlike a lot of cable plans, you can easily pause or cancel YouTube TV or any of these alternatives, so long as you have month-to-month subscriptions.) Below, we've outlined some of your best options to watch ESPN, the Disney Channel, ABC and more, all pulled from our list of best live TV streaming services to cut cable, as well as a comprehensive list of which channels have been affected, and the biggest sporting events of the week that won't be available to YouTube TV subscribers.
What games are on ESPN/ABC this week?
If you're wondering what games you might miss as a result of the YouTubeTV/Disney blackout, here's a list of some upcoming sports you may not want to miss:
College Football
Thursday, Nov. 6
7:30 p.m. | Georgia Southern at Appalachian State | ESPN2
7:30 p.m. | UTSA at South Florida | ESPN
Friday, Nov. 7
9 p.m. | Tulane at Memphis | ESPN
Saturday, Nov. 8
12 p.m. | No. 5 Georgia at Mississippi State | ESPN
12 p.m. | No. 7 BYU at No. 8 Texas Tech | ABC
12 p.m. | SMU at Boston College | ACC Network
12 p.m. | James Madison at Marshall | ESPN2
12 p.m. | Southern Miss at Arkansas State | ESPNU
3:30 p.m. | No. 3 Texas A&M at No. 22 Missouri | ABC
3:30 p.m. | Syracuse at No. 18 Miami (Fla.) | ESPN
3:30 p.m. | Kansas at Arizona | ESPN2
4 p.m. | Auburn at No. 16 Vanderbilt | SEC Network
4 p.m. | Kennesaw State at New Mexico State | ESPN+
4 p.m. | Georgia State at Coastal Carolina | ESPN+
5 p.m. | Texas State at Louisiana | ESPN+
7 p.m. | Wake Forest at No. 14 Virginia | ESPN
7 p.m. | Cal at No. 15 Louisville | ESPN2
7 p.m. | Florida State at Clemson | ACCN
7:30 p.m. | LSU at No. 4 Alabama | ABC
7:30 p.m. | Florida at Kentucky | SEC Network
NFL
Monday, Nov. 10
8:15 p.m. | Philadelphia Eagles vs. Green Bay Packers | ESPN/ABC
Grab an ESPN bundle so you won't miss the NFL, NBA or any other games
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Try DirecTV free for 5 days, and get $30 off your first month
What about Sling "day passes"?
You may have heard that Sling offers day, weekend and week passes to its streaming programming for as little as $5 per day. That is an option if you're looking for just some of the ESPN channels (the Sling Orange tier), but ABC isn't included. (If you're just looking to catch one of this week's big games, like Monday Night Football on ESPN, it's a great short-term solution.) If you want a longer-term solution, you can get both ESPN and ABC with Sling's Orange and Blue package ($30 a month to start, $61 thereafter), but you'll need to add on the Sports Extra package for ESPNU, which requires an additional charge.
Get your local Disney/ABC programming for free
Need your local ABC programming? Your station may have its own free local streaming news channel (many do), you can see if The Roku Channel carries your local station's news, or download your local news station app if it's a Nexstar channel.
The other alternative — if you're within the broadcast radius of a local ABC affiliate — is to get an over-the-air antenna. You can plug in your ZIP code at antennaweb.org to see what channels are in your area. This off-brand unit has worked very well in our initial testing — it's under $30, and the channels are truly free.
Which channels are no longer available on YouTube TV?
Every channel that's owned by The Walt Disney Company is currently blacked out on YouTube TV. Those channels are:
ABC
ABC News Live
ACC Network
Disney Channel
Disney Junior
Disney XD
ESPN
ESPNews
ESPN2
ESPNU
Freeform
FX
FXM
FXX
Localish
Nat Geo
Nat Geo Wild
SEC Network
ESPN Deportes
Baby TV Español
Nat Geo Mundo
Update Nov. 6 2025, 4:38PM ET: This story has been updated to include viewing info for weekend college football games, as well as the next Monday Night Football.
Update Nov. 5 2025, 12:32PM ET: This story has been updated to include detailed info on tonight's ESPN NBA games.
Update Nov. 3 2025, 6:36PM ET: This story has been updated to include YouTube TV's latest response to Disney's request to restore its channels for just 24 hours.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/the-youtube-tv-disney-blackout-continues-how-to-watch-college-football-on-espn-abc-and-more-173330237.html?src=rss
