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Football fans across the United States finally got some good news. After weeks of problems, YouTube TV and Disney reached a deal that brings ESPN, ABC, and all Disney channels back to the platform. For J.J. Watt and more than 10 million frustrated viewers, the blackout is officially over.
The dispute caused a lot of trouble in recent weeks. Fans missed two straight Monday Night Football games in Week 9 and Week 10, including some big matchups. College football viewers were also upset because they lost access to College GameDay and several major weekend games. Many people said they were tired of dealing with login issues, missing channels, and random streaming errors.
J.J. Watt was one of the loudest voices speaking up for fans. On November 4, he posted on social media, asking why people couldn’t watch Monday Night Football and saying he didn’t want to buy another streaming service. He later joked that his current subscription only lets him watch Espanyol soccer on ESPN+. Watt also talked about the issue on The Pat McAfee Show, saying, “It’s football. We need it.”
To calm things down, YouTube TV gave subscribers a $20 credit after the second weekend of missed games. But most fans said the money didn’t matter—they just wanted to watch football again.
Behind the scenes, Disney and YouTube TV were stuck in a tough business fight. Disney wanted a fair price for its channels, while YouTube TV said the cost was too high and would force them to increase subscription prices. One of the biggest problems was the fee for non-sports channels such as FX, National Geographic, and Freeform. Even FCC Chair Brendan Carr asked both companies to settle the issue, saying customers deserved the service they paid for.
The situation got so serious that top leaders joined the talks. Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Disney CEO Bob Iger stepped in, along with Disney executives Dana Walden, Alan Bergman, and ESPN chair Jimmy Pitaro. After a lot of back and forth, both sides finally agreed.
On November 14, reporter Andrew Marchand confirmed the news that YouTube TV and Disney had signed a multi-year deal, restoring ESPN and other networks right away. ESPN also announced that Monday Night Football would return.
Disney’s stock also took a hit during the fight. On November 13, it dropped nearly 8%, losing about $16 billion in value—not only because of the YouTube TV issue but also due to missed earnings and a down day in the stock market.
For millions of fans, including J.J. Watt, the focus is now on enjoying football again. With Week 11’s Monday Night Football game between the Dallas Cowboys and Las Vegas Raiders set to stream as normal, viewers can finally relax and get back to watching the sport they love.
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