YouTube TV blackout with Disney will impact NBA games tonight: How to watch 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 a number of tonight's NBA games are going to be affected, too. YouTube TV management officially rebuffed Disney's request for a 24-hour restoration of its channels in a blog post on Monday — ostensibly to offer coverage of Tuesday's elections — proposing instead that Disney reactivate the feeds for ABC and ESPN while negotiations continue.
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. (Some users have reportedly noticed an option for $10 off in their accounts.) This discount provides little consolation though if you want to watch tonight's NBA games or your favorite shows like Abbott Elementary, Grey's Anatomy and Dancing with the Stars. If you don't want to miss out on tonight's Minnesota Timberwolves vs. New York Knicks or San Antonio Spurs vs. Los Angeles Lakers games — both on ESPN — 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, including tonight's NBA games, 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.) If you're looking for a workaround to watch ESPN, the Disney Channel, ABC and more, here's are the best options so you won't miss a moment of sports, news, or entertainment, all pulled from our list of best live TV streaming services to cut cable.
Grab an ESPN bundle so you won't miss the NFL, NBA or any other games
Get Hulu + Live TV at a great price
Try Fubo free for a week and get $30 your first month
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.
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:
NBA
Wednesday, Nov. 5
7:30 p.m. | Minnesota Timberwolves vs. New York Knicks | ESPN
10 p.m. | San Antonio Spurs vs. Los Angeles Lakers | ESPN
College Football
Wednesday, Nov. 5
7 p.m. | Kent State at Ball State | ESPNU
7 p.m. | Northern Illinois at Toledo | ESPN2
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
Update Nov. 5 2025, 12:32PM ET: This story has been updated to include detailed info on tonight's ESPN NBA games, as well as the college football games on deck for this weekend.
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/youtube-tv-blackout-with-disney-will-impact-nba-games-tonight-how-to-watch-espn-abc-and-more-173330987.html?src=rss
