Why ESPN Is Missing From YouTube TV: College Basketball Fans Left Frustrated

ESPN YouTube TV blackout 2025 college basketball

The 2025–26 men’s college basketball season has officially begun, with a full day’s worth of games already completed. However, because of the current carrier issue between Disney and YouTube TV, some fans will not be able to view specific games as early-season activity unfolds.

Disney was unable to reach a new agreement with Google, YouTube’s parent company, so last week it removed all of its material from YouTube TV, including ABC and the ESPN family of networks.

The Dick Vitale Invitational match between No. 5 Duke and Texas on Tuesday, November 4 at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, at 8:45 p.m. ET, will be the first major college basketball event affected by the blackout.

The Blue Devils vs. Longhorns game is just one of many eagerly awaited games that will be unavailable on YouTube TV for the first week of the season unless Disney and Google can reach a new carrier rights deal agreement. Other games that will be affected are Oklahoma vs. No. 20 Gonzaga, Indiana vs. Marquette, and a top-25 match between No. 19 Kansas and No. 25 North Carolina.

Here are some details regarding the carrier dispute between Disney and Google, including how to watch college basketball games that will air on the ESPN family of networks throughout the week:

This week, which college basketball games won’t be available on YouTube TV?

The complete schedule of college basketball games that will air on a Disney-owned network through Sunday, November 8 but are not available to watch on YouTube TV is as follows:

Tuesday, Nov. 4

Alcorn State vs. Florida State at 7 p.m. ET (ACC Extra)
Texas vs. No. 5 Duke at 8:45 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Portland State vs. Stanford at 10 p.m. ET (ACC Extra)

Wednesday, Nov. 5

North Alabama vs. Mississippi State at 9 p.m. ET (SEC Network)

Thursday, Nov. 6

Jackson State vs. No. 10 Louisville at 7 p.m. ET (ACC Extra)
Bethune-Cookman vs. Miami at 7 p.m. ET (ACC Extra)
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi vs. SMU at 8 p.m. ET (ACC Extra)
Wright State vs. Cal at 10 p.m. ET (ACC Extra)

No. 19 Kansas vs. No. 25 UNC at 7 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Alabama State vs. Florida State at 7 p.m. ET (ACC Extra)
Morehead State vs. Wake Forest at 7 p.m. ET (ACC Extra)
NCCU vs. Virginia at 7 p.m. ET (ACC Extra)
Longwood vs. Pitt at 7 p.m. ET (ACC Extra)
Detroit Mercy vs. Notre Dame at 7 p.m. ET (ACC Extra)
Gardner-Webb vs. Clemson at 7 p.m. ET (ACC Network)
Bryant vs. Georgia Tech at 7:30 p.m. ET (ACC Extra)
UAB vs. NC State at 9 p.m. ET (ACC Network)

Saturday, Nov. 8

Delaware State vs. Syracuse at 1 p.m. ET (ACC Extra)
Montana vs. Stanford at 4 p.m. ET (ACC Extra)
Oklahoma vs. No. 20 Gonzaga at 10:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2)

Sunday, Nov. 9

Indiana vs. Marquette at 1 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Texas A&M vs. Oklahoma State at 2 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
VMI vs. Missouri at 4:30 p.m. ET (SEC Network)
Southern Miss at South Carolina at 6:30 p.m. ET (SEC Network)
Washington at Baylor at 8:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)

How to watch college basketball games for men without YouTube TV

Streaming: ESPN app | Fubo (free trial)

The ESPN app (with a TV login) and Fubo, which carries the ESPN family of networks and provides a free trial to new customers, are streaming options for college basketball games that will be broadcast on Disney-owned channels but without YouTube TV.

Did Disney-owned networks leave YouTube TV?

By the October 30 deadline of 11:59 p.m. ET, Google and Disney were unable to reach a new contract deal that would have maintained Disney-owned networks on YouTube TV. Since then, Disney has taken its networks from YouTube TV, including ESPN and ABC.

YouTube TV stated in a blog post on October 30 that Disney had used “a threat of a blackout on YouTube TV as a negotiating tactic” during negotiations that would “raise prices on our customers.” Additionally, it stated that if Disney-owned material is removed off YouTube TV for “an extended period of time,” users will receive a $20 credit.

“We know this is a frustrating and disappointing outcome for our subscribers and we continue to urge Disney to work with us constructively to reach a fair agreement that restores their networks to YouTube TV,” the post continued. “If their content remains off YouTube TV for an extended period of time, we’ll offer subscribers a $20 credit.”

Disney said that Google was “using its market dominance to eliminate competition and undercut the industry-standard terms we’ve successfully negotiated with every other distributor.”