Image source: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
ESPN and ABC were full of Monday Night Football and yet the screen remained dark of millions of YouTube TV users. Approximately 10 million subscribers lost access to Cowboys vs Cardinals game, as a result of a communication failure between YouTube TV and Disney.
The commercial blackout, occurring in one of the most-watched weekly NFL games, has caused outrage on the internet. The social media has been overflowed with angry fans seeking to know where they can watch the game. Numerous people could not imagine that two giant corporations would allow such standoff on a Cowboys game – one of the games that are usually viewed by a huge national audience.
Money is at the centre of the conflict. The ESPN and ABC are owned by Disney, which claims it desires a higher per-subscriber price, saying that the coverage of the sports are worth it. YouTube TV, in its turn, is attempting to defy the increase to ensure that they do not transmit increased costs to consumers. It is the fans who lose the war, as the two parties bury themselves.
Trying to put a stop to the situation, YouTube TV stated that they will give a credit of 20 dollars to all of the customers who are affected by the blackout. But for many, that’s not enough. A small refund can not solve the problem of missing one of the largest games of the week. The current alternative where the fans can watch Monday night football is to subscribe directly to the ESPN+ which would be costing them 29.99 a month.
ESPN, in its turn, has encouraged its audience to demand YouTube TV to restore the channels of Disney. However, there is still no deal so far before the Packers/Eagles game next week.
It even did not spare former NFL star J. J. Watt. The retired defensive end went to social media to release his anger, in which he said, “So we are not watching Monday Night Football huh? I will not purchase another streaming service. Watt claimed that he is a subscriber to ESPN+ and can see soccer matches, but could not see the NFL game.
The fans hastened to support Watt and most of them voiced the same sentiments of the increasing streaming expenses and the frequent service problems. The ridiculous thing is that they did it during the season, one of the fans wrote. Some other added, everybody desired streaming and made fun of cable. How’s that working out?”
The blackout has turned into more than a lost game to a lot of people, it is another glimpse of the fact that in the streaming era, convenience is usually a paid thing.
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