SEC on ABC viewership reportedly down 32.5 percent in Week 10 amid YouTube dispute

Jeff Hauser

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SEC on ABC viewership reportedly down 32.5 percent in Week 10 amid YouTube dispute image

An October surprise hit millions of sports fans last week as Disney-owned ESPN and ABC saw a steep ratings decline amid their contract dispute with YouTube TV.

Roughly 10 million subscribers to YouTube TV lost access to ESPN, ABC, and other Disney channels on Oct. 30 after the companies failed to agree on a new carriage deal. 

The blackout arrived just before a busy sports weekend, leaving fans unable to watch ESPN’s College GameDay or several major college football games on ABC.

According to Sports Illustrated’s Brian Fischer, ESPN’s weekend network broadcasts on ABC suffered an average 32.5 percent drop in viewership compared with the previous week, marking one of the network’s sharpest short-term declines in years. 

The outage also conference-specific channels like the SEC and ACC Networks, both key draws for fall sports audiences. However, like Fischer said in his tweet, everything is matchup specific.

Disney and Google, YouTube’s parent company, remain locked in negotiations over programming fees and distribution rights. In the meantime, subscribers have been urged to switch providers or sign up directly for ESPN’s standalone streaming service to maintain access.

While competitors such as Hulu + Live TV and Sling still carry Disney’s suite of channels, YouTube TV users can only access ABC’s over-the-air broadcasts via an antenna. ESPN’s cable networks, however, remain unavailable without a paid subscription elsewhere.

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Contributing Writer