With hours to go until kickoff, it appears increasingly likely the carriage dispute between Google and Disney will not be resolved in time for YouTube TV to carry the Monday Night Football matchup between the Arizona Cardinals and Dallas Cowboys. Fortunately, there are other options for fans looking to tune in to the clash of NFC foes should the two sides fail to reach an agreement.
Through a different vMVPD
While YouTube TV is the largest internet TV bundle provider, it is not the only one in the game. Disney-owned products Fubo and Hulu + Live TV provide a similar service, and Fubo’s new “Sports + News” bundle includes ESPN for a discounted first month rate of $46 after a 5-day free trial ($56/month after). Hulu’s base price for Live TV is $89/month but includes a more robust channel lineup and offers discounts for bundling a subscription with Disney+ or other streamers. DIRECTV’s cheapest streaming bundle is $90/month, but is currently offering a 5-day free trial, $50 first month, and $80 second and third month.
DISH-owned Sling TV offers ESPN in a $46/month “Sling Orange” subscription. It also offers a 24-hour “Day Pass” — functionally turning “MNF” into a Pay-Per-View event — for $5, or $15 for a full week.
Over-the-air on ABC
The ABC broadcast network will carry “MNF” game alongside ESPN. In most areas, a local ABC station is receivable via a reasonably-priced antenna available at major retailers. After the antenna purchase, the viewer has free access to ABC, CBS, CW, FOX, and NBC content, which includes dozens of pro and college football games in the coming months.
This plan may not be an option if the carriage dispute continues over an extended period — several Monday night games are exclusive to ESPN on cable beginning with Panthers-49ers on November 24.
From ESPN directly
With no shortage of fanfare, ESPN rolled out its “ESPN Unlimited” direct-to-consumer streaming product in August, allowing fans to access all of ESPN’s content through a single $30/month subscription to ESPN. This remains an option for fans wanting to watch the NFL and other ESPN programming. A subscription to the $12/month “ESPN Select” option (ESPN+) would not include tonight’s “MNF” game.
Some observers have suggested that ESPN is leveraging the YouTube TV blackout intentionally to drive viewers to the new DTC product. This is not actually the case: ESPN’s revenue from cable bundled providers is much more consistent and predictable than DTC revenue on a month-to-month basis.
Additionally, NFL+ offers streaming access to Monday Night Football along with all other local and primetime games for just $7/month, but this only allows access in the NFL app on mobile/tablet devices, not on computers or TVs.
Through traditional cable
Traditional cable TV providers like Xfinity, Spectrum, and Cox all include ESPN in basic-tier cable packages, though setting up an installation is not an instant process as it is with an app. With the most complete channel lineups available and no need to switch between apps, traditional cable is often the best bet for fans who want a high-cost, low-hassle sports viewing experience.
For the long haul
As of Monday afternoon, the two sides remain entrenched in their stances, each blaming each other for fans missing out. Missing a weekend of college football is one thing, but Disney has typically been able to sort out its carriage disputes when NFL action is on the line. But if YouTube TV can survive a Dallas Cowboys game without the loss of too many subscribers, that may prove it has the upper hand in this spat. Revenue from YouTube TV is less than 10% of Google’s $350 billion in 2024 revenue, while televising the NFL to the widest possible audience is presumably of much greater importance to ESPN.
