One of the big perks of the deal struck between ESPN and YouTube TV after their damaging carriage dispute last fall was YouTube TV subscribers finally getting access to the ESPN Unlimited streaming platform.
But YouTube TV subscribers are having to wait… and wait… and wait.
On Monday, YouTube TV unveiled pricing plans for its all-new skinny bundles, which include a sports-focused package. These bundles present slightly more affordable options for customers who don’t want to pay for the entire channel listing. The monthly cost of YouTube TV has risen exponentially in recent years. And now the sports bundle, at $64.99 per month ($54.99 per month for new users), is what users were paying for the entire platform just a few years ago.
But buried within the announcement of the sports plan is this tidbit about ESPN Unlimited. And it’s not good news for YouTube TV subs hoping to finally gain access after months of waiting. (Bold emphasis added.)
At $18 lower than the YouTube TV main plan, the Sports Plan gives fans access to all the major broadcasters as well as sports networks like FS1, NBC Sports Network, all of the ESPN networks, and ESPN Unlimited (coming this fall).
That’s right. YouTube TV customers may have to wait almost a full year after the carriage deal was struck between the two sides to gain their promised access to ESPN Unlimited.
Limited access to ESPN Unlimited has become a major sticking point for sports fans everywhere.
Initially, ESPN’s direct-to-consumer platform was promoted as being available to anyone with ESPN included in their cable or satellite subscription. That quickly proved to not be the case as individual distributors had to negotiate and renegotiate deals with the Worldwide Leader in Sports. These issues have plagued the service from the very beginning as technical delays in authenticating millions of new users have been a constant. And two of the biggest distributors in the country – Comcast and YouTube TV – are still without access.
Earlier this month, a Comcast representative told Awful Announcing’s Drew Lerner that ESPN Unlimited access would be arriving “in the coming weeks.” A YouTube TV representative did not respond to several requests for comment on the potential timeline. But now we know that it is apparently several months away from happening.
A fall launch for ESPN Unlimited for YouTube TV subscribers would hit in time for football season, yes. That’s a target that always makes sense in the sports world, especially considering it will be when the ESPN-NFL equity deal kicks in. But in the meantime, YouTube TV subscribers will miss WWE premium live events like WrestleMania and scores of other content.
A fall timeline would be understandable for sports fans who are hoping to access ESPN Unlimited from within the YouTube TV interface. Adding that many options, even from a digital perspective, would surely be a massive undertaking. But what is exponentially more frustrating for subscribers is they can’t even authenticate their subscription on the ESPN Unlimited platform itself.
Right now, ESPN has just seven providers listed on their DTC website as being able to authenticate their subscription. Sports fans have been used to authenticating cable/satellite subscriptions into streaming portals for years now. So for the everyday sports fan, it’s impossible to understand why delays in accessing a product that has been promised to them could extend for months without an end in sight.
The lengthy setbacks aren’t just frustrating for sports fans who are supposed to have access to ESPN Unlimited, they are unacceptable.
