TNT studio host welcomes YouTube TV viewers amid streamer’s dispute with ESPN
By David Wasson
Published:
The ongoing carraige dispute between YouTube and ESPN/ABC spilled over into Saturday’s college football coverage – sending thousands of angry subscribers scrambling to watch Week 10 games after YouTube blacked out the Disney-owned channels Friday. And it also allowed a rival network to throw some subtle shade Disney’s way in the process.
“If I can, a hearty hello to everyone watching on YouTube TV,” host Adam Lefkoe said during TNT’s pregame coverage of Arizona State vs. Iowa State. “We don’t need you to send an email or make a phone call, just hang out. Welcome. You might like it.”
RELATED: Need a way to stream all the major college football games this Saturday? Check out Sling TV!
The reference was to ESPN personalities openly asking viewers to visit a website to express their opinion on the blackout – as Scott Van Pelt, Stephen A. Smith and Mike Greenberg all exhorted remarkably similar PR-fueled talking points in the days leading up to Friday’s blackout on YouTube.
It was also the same tactics ESPN utilized when in a similar carriage dispute with DirecTV in 2024. The current ongoing dispute is between Google (which owns YouTube TV) and Disney (which owns ESPN), and saw YouTube TV release a statement earlier in the week stating that it would issue a $20 credit if ESPN channels are absent for a prolonged period of time.
With YouTube TV’s service costs upwards of $80 per month, though, many sports-loving subscribers are less than enthralled about a $20 credit. But at least they got to see the Sun Devils take on the Cyclones on TNT.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
