Thursday will be one of the biggest days in USF's history when ESPN SportsCenter produces its 2-3 p.m. show outside the Marshall Center on the Bulls' campus. The network will televise from Raymond James Stadium from 5-6 p.m. followed by the Bulls game with UTSA.
Too bad USF subscribers to YouTube TV may not be able to see any of the fun. That's due to the dispute between Disney -- ESPN's parent company -- and Google, which owns YouTube TV. The two behemoth companies are locked into a dispute about money (as if neither has enough of that), resulting in YouTube TV subscribers being unable to access the ESPN networks.
Unless that is resolved by Thursday -- and, at this writing, that seems like a long shot -- USF fans who subscribe to YouTube TV become collatteral damage in this corporate crossfire.
The trend to outlets like YouTube TV started several years ago when cable TV began to price its way out of the market. Cable companies advertised that subscribers could watch HUNDREDS OF CHANNELS on a base plan for a monthly fee that kept climbing.
The truth was, most subscribers watched only a small number of those channels but had to subsidize the cost of carrying stations they never watched.
That's when the streamers came along, promising a lower rate and higher quality, and for a few years that was true.
When it launched in 2017, YouTube TV cost $34.95 a month.'
Six price increases later, it was $82.99 a month for the base plan.
Meanwhile, the network over the years dropped the regional sports networks owned then by Sinclair Broadcasting. They dropped the New England Sports Network (NESN) in a carriage fees dispute. There was a two-day blackout of all the Disney channels in 2021. There have been other disputes that took subscribers to the brink of losing their favorite channels before being averted at the last minute.
Now this.
Disney recently announced that the ESPN networks would be offered as a standalone app known as ESPN Unlimited. That includes all the ESPN+ channels that make it possible to watch virtually any USF sport from the comfort of your living room.
It's also available on Disney+ and Hulu as a bundle, or on FUBO (also owned by Disney). ESPN+ will fade to oblivion, replaced by the ESPN Select plan.
That's a straight shot to YouTube TV's jaw, since Disney controls much of the college sports TV rights. The Mouse has roared.
There's no law that says Disney has to offer its products to YouTube TV, and public opinion doesn't seem to be a factor.
It seems that Disney holds the cards here and could soon have a near monopoly on TV sports. We can only wonder what that would cost each month.
Meanwhile, all USF fans can do is to hope this gets settled quickly.
By the way, the American Conference championship game is Friday, December 5, at 8 p.m. on ABC (also controlled by Disney).
If USF is playing in that game, Bulls fans who remain subscribers to YouTube TV would have to break out the rabbit ears to watch the game.
The good news is, that would be free.