NBA’s Failure to Drum Up TV Interest Leads to YouTube Fallout With $201.08B Giant

The NBA’s struggle for viewership appears to have harmed Alphabet’s YouTube TV, leading to the company’s fallout with $201 billion media giant Disney. After failing to reach an agreement on an extension, Disney has pulled several marquee channels from YouTube TV, including ABC and ESPN.

For basketball fans, this means that they will no longer be able to catch ESPN and ABC’s basketball coverage on the platform. This is also bad news for football fans as both channels hosted a wide selection of programs, including NFL games and college football.

On Thursday, YouTube TV released the following statement in light of the fallout:

“Despite our best efforts, we have not been able to reach a fair deal, and starting today, Disney programming will not be available on YouTube TV. This means you will no longer be able to watch channels like ABC and ESPN or access recordings from these networks in your Library.”

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The service also alleged that Disney's new terms would put its members at a disadvantage:

“Members, when we renew our contracts with network partners, we advocate for fair pricing to offer you the best TV experience. Our contract with Disney has reached its renewal date, and we'll not agree to terms that disadvantage our members while benefiting Disney’s TV products.”

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The NBA saw a surge in viewership, marking its best opening week in 15 years

While the NBA has struggled with TV viewership recently, the 2025-26 season has presented many positives to the league. The new season's tipoff last week brought in close to 37 million viewers across NBC, ESPN and Amazon Prime.

The season opener for the Houston Rockets and the OKC Thunder attracted 5.85 million viewers, making it the most-watched game of an NBA opening night since 2010. Moreover, the second game featuring the Golden State Warriors and the LA Lakers also did well, averaging 5.11 million viewers.

After years of declining viewership, the league has started the 2025-26 season strong. This could be credited to several factors, including the league's new deals with NBC and ESPN.

The ongoing betting scandal surrounding the league has also piqued the interest of fans. While YouTube TV is set to lose NBA content, the league itself appears to be thriving.

Edited by Sameer Khan